The roster invites for the Canadian Olympic hockey team were announced a few weeks ago to whet our puck appetites in the dog days of summer. The invitee list is a virtual smorgasbord of all stars, a literal embarrassment of riches in the talent department. Except for one spot. Goaltender.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is certainly talent in net for Team Canada, but given the elite level of skaters on every line, for every shift, the same can’t be said for the net minders. The list of initial invitees includes 2010 gold medalist Roberto Luongo, Corey Crawford, Carey Price, Mike Smith and Braden Holtby.

There will always be snubs for every list, even a grocery list. However, while a veteran like Martin Brodeur or Cam Ward didn’t get added to GM Steve Yzerman’s shopping cart, they can still work their way into consideration with a strong start to the 2013-14 campaign.

The Canadian team kicks off the defense of their Olympic gold on February 13 against Norway. The reigning gold medalists are certainly expected to advance beyond the round-robin portion of the tournament, but coach Mike Babcock will certainly have some tough decisions in goal. Each prospect brings a ton of talent to the roster, but there is a certain “it” factor lacking.

The same could have been said for the perennially choking Luongo who finally managed to get his hands on a team trophy in 2010. The loaded Canadian roster only asks that Luongo not lose any games, while taking care of business in the offensive end. Luongo was certainly better than that, dare I say he was fantastic in front of the hometown Vancouver fans. The not-so-friendly crowd in Sochi, Russia could prove to be more difficult for Bobby Lu, particularly if the arena loops “Chelsea Dagger” during the Canadian warm-ups.

While I consider Luongo to be a favorite to make the squad, I don’t know if he is THE guy for Canada. I like Mike Smith and Braden Holtby, but in this situation I think that Carey Price and Corey Crawford bring more experience and big-game savvy to the table. Crawford just added instant credibility to his resume with a Stanley Cup title while every game Price plays in Montreal could be the equivalent to a Stanley Cup Game 7 in 26 other NHL arenas.

Crawford is the most interesting candidate and I think that he will be measured more on his first 25 games of the 2013-14 season rather on what he has already accomplished. Yzerman and Babcock will be hawking Crawford to see if he can maintain his playoff performance or if he was a product of a stingy Chicago defense.

Equally scrutinized will be Price in Montreal and Luongo in Vancouver. With Cory Schneider headed to New Jersey, the goaltending pendulum has again swung back in Luongo’s favor. He will need to show that he is still an elite goaltender now that he has reacquired top billing simply by default.

Carey Price has his share of detractors as well. When last we saw the Montreal net minder, an undermanned Ottawa Senators crew was lighting him up. The Canadians and Price surprised everyone last year with some inspired play under new leadership. The numbers were hardly spectacular from the 25-year old, but they were good enough to get Montreal into the second slot in the Eastern Conference. It’s hard to say that Price might be at a crossroads at his Montreal career, but his Olympic hopes and future as the Canadiens goaltender depend on his performance next season.

Ultimately Team Canada might have enough firepower up front and enough defense in the back to defend their gold medal. That is a pretty big “might” considering the talent that is on the other international rosters. As good as the Canadian roster looks at the top, goaltending will be a glaring weakness. The bigger question will be if it can be exploited.