Hampus Lindholm sits in Sweden’s opener as battle for blue-line minutes begins

It isn't overly surprising that Hampus Lindholm is on the outside looking in for Team Sweden's Olympic opener against Team Italy. Lindholm made the roster once Jonas Brodin couldn't make it to Milano-Cortina due to an injury, and putting him in the first lineup over someone the staff picked initially wouldn't have made a ton of sense.

An interesting wrinkle with the Olympic lineups is that the teams can dress 20 skaters instead of the usual 18. It gives teams the chance to normally dress 13 forwards and seven defensemen, but some teams could eventually opt to go with 12 and eight if injuries or lineup decisions force their hand.

Sweden will likely not be a team that ever goes with 12 and eight, which further hurts Lindholm's chances of playing. With an injury to William Nylander, it looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs' winger is going to be battling through that issue for most of the tournament. It wouldn't make sense for them to go to 12 and eight if that's the case, as it's more likely they'll always have the 13th forward as insurance for Nylander.

The Swedish blueline is going to be a tough one to crack. Gustav Forsling isn't going anywhere after his domination in the past couple of Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Florida Panthers. Neither is Victor Hedman, unless the injury that was bugging him forces him to sit out for a game. Lindholm's best chance is to surpass Oliver Ekman-Larsson or Philip Broberg.

Hampus Lindholm's path to Sweden's lineup

Broberg being on the second pair is interesting after his breakout since joining the St. Louis Blues. He earned that spot alongside Erik Karlsson with his play, but the Olympics are a different level. It'll be interesting to see whether the 24-year-old can maintain his form through the whole tournament without any hiccups.

Ekman-Larsson could also take a step back at this tournament. The veteran defender has been looking great for the Maple Leafs this season, but their blueline isn't among the best in the league. He gets exposed a little when having to play further up the lineup, and facing the world's best could cause some problems.

The only thing is that Lindholm isn't a speedster himself. Taking Ekman-Larsson out of the lineup for Lindholm wouldn't be making the Swedish blueline any faster, and the coaching staff could value the Leafs defender's Olympic experience as the seventh defenseman, sort of like Drew Doughty's place on Canada.

Boston Bruins fans won't be terribly upset if Lindholm sits for most of the Olympics, given the role he is going to play in the team's playoff push when the break ends. However, on a human level, everyone has to be rooting for him to get to live the Olympic experience by playing a role for Sweden.