The normal Scandinavian stoicism one would expect from a veteran like Marcus Johansson was long gone when he left the rink following an early January morning skate for the Minnesota Wild in Anaheim. There was rain coming down in Southern California, and the weather was reflective of the mood striking the 35-year-old Swedish forward that day.
While Minnesota teammates Filip Gustavsson, Jesper Wallstedt, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin would be headed to the Winter Olympics to skate for Team Sweden next month, Johansson had gotten bad news. Despite a red-hot start to his 16th NHL season, and being an Olympic veteran, Johansson had been left off the roster.
Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) and Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Johansson (90) celebrate Boldy’s goal against the Buffalo Sabres during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)
“Very disappointed,” Johansson said that day outside the visitors’ locker room at the Ducks home rink. “It’s obviously something you work hard for and dream about and, yeah, it’s tough to swallow.”
Three weeks later, in Minnesota, the weather isn’t any better, but a bittersweet turn of events means that Johansson won’t be getting time off during the NHL’s three-week Olympics break. Instead, he will be donning the blue-and-gold of Sweden for the games in Italy.
The roster spot he is filling came open when Brodin and Anaheim forward Leo Carlsson suffered injuries that will prevent their participation in the Olympics. Johansson called it a “good news, bad news” scenario.
“I was very disappointed, as I think you should be. And then you never wish for anyone to get hurt or anything bad to happen,” he said after posting an assist in the Wild’s 4-3 shootout win over Chicago on Tuesday. “But I’m gonna try and make the most of this opportunity, and I’m excited to go there and have a chance to compete for a gold medal, and I’m very honored.”
After posting 30 and 34 points in his previous two seasons, respectively, Johansson has had an offensive resurgence in 2025-26, with 35 points already for the Wild, and roughly one-third of the NHL season yet to be played.
“I know that he played really, really well in the World Championships last year for Sweden, and then obviously this year for us,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “And just to see how disappointed he was in that result, but as we talked about it, was said there’s a lot of hockey left and probably the rosters that get named probably aren’t going to be the rosters that go, with injuries, and he continued to play for us and certainly earned a spot.”
Johansson has been one of the Wild’s second-line wingers much of the season, with Matt Boldy on the other wing and Eriksson Ek at center. They have joked that perhaps Johansson and Eriksson Ek will be on a line for the Swedes, and get to face off versus Boldy if they face Team USA.
At the same time, there is an air of disappointment for Brodin, who won a World Juniors gold medal for Sweden in 2012 and was set to play in his first Olympics. He had surgery recently and is not expected back on the ice until perhaps early March, using the Olympic break to get healthy for what the Wild hope is a playoff run.
“Awful. Obviously, get a chance to play in the Olympics, and (it) would be his first,” Johansson said. “It is obviously special, and it feels like he can’t catch a break right now. And, yeah, he deserves to be there. And then I wish he was there with us, but (it’s) tough.”
Brodin has played 42 games for the Wild this season, with three goals and 12 assists. He missed training camp and the first game of the regular season while recovering from an injury suffered while skating for Sweden in the World Championship last spring after the Wild were eliminated in the opening round of the NHL playoffs.
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