O Canada: Projecting the defending champion's 2018 Pyeongchang roster

Just like that, Team Canada's aspirations of winning a third straight Olympic gold became much more difficult to achieve.

The NHL made the dreaded though not unexpected announcement Monday that the league will not send its players to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Related - Report: NHL directs teams not to talk Olympic participation with players

While some optimists and those close to the game don't feel Monday's announcement concretely closes the door on NHL participation, those in charge of constructing the rosters must now turn to plan B.

It will be no simple task for Canada to piece together another winning club, but let's take a look at how the country's 2018 Olympic roster could shape up.

Note: Only AHL players with fewer than 10 games played in the NHL over the last two seasons were considered. Players signed to entry-level contracts were excluded as well.

Forwards

Notes:

• The forward contingent is largely made up of KHL talent, along with some experienced AHL veterans.
• Mason Raymond and Mike Richards both earn spots despite not currently playing with a team. Raymond suited up for Canada at the Spengler Cup last December and was instrumental in the team's gold-medal win, collecting six points in five games. Meanwhile, Richards hasn't played since joining the Washington Capitals last season, but could be an asset considering he earned gold at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
• Nigel Dawes is on the list, but gets an asterisk since he also has Kazakhstani citizenship, and recently played for the country at its Olympic qualifying tournament and at last season's World Championships.

Defense

• The defense - once again - is very KHL-heavy.
• Chris Lee has scored more points (62) than any other Canadian skater this season.
• Four of the men above represented Canada at the 2016 Deutschland Cup.
• Kevin Dallman, much like Dawes, also competed with Kazakhstan at Olympic qualifying and may also be unavailable.

Goalies

• Selecting the goaltenders is fairly straightforward. Ben Scrivens and Daniel Taylor have been among the best Canadian talents in the KHL this season. Meanwhile, Michael Leighton continues to live in the AHL despite continued solid play with the Charlotte Checkers.