Everything Avalanche Going Into The 2026 Winter Olympics

Everything Avalanche Going Into The 2026 Winter Olympics

I fully expect that the uh uh American Brass will find a way to screw it up because they’re going to try and build a roster around a bunch of big and ugly. Um and instead of being like, “Hey, let’s lean into high elite skill.” Yeah. Mhm. But I I think the Americans at least have to be the the the the second banana on that pecking order right now. DNVR Avalanche podcast. The Olympics is now just about two months away and we’re going to assume that the players are actually going and that means Nathan McKinnon and team Canada are almost certainly the favorites. But let’s have a little bit of fun with this. We have we have an opportunity to in theory see the three best players in the world all be on the ice together at the same time with Nathan McKinnon, Conor McDavid, and Kale Mar. Rank them however you want. I don’t care. My question is, who should Nathan McKinnon play with at the Olympics? And maybe more importantly, should he be a center or should he be a wing on team Canada? I feel like my answer is easy for this, especially for the second part. Like, do even on the abs as a center, plays like a wing to some extent to to some extent. And like I feel like that’s where a lot of times you see him where he can be his most comfortable, where he can be his most creative. Put him on the wing. He can play next to Sydney Crosby. Fine by me. Okay. Yeah, I think he he should play next to Sydney Crosby, but I would keep him in the middle of the ice. Um his his speed and the creativity and the the dominance starts with him being able to own the middle of the ice, especially in the offensive zone. Um, I understand defensively that they’re going to need to put some adults around him to try to, you know, Crosby’s adult to reality. Exactly. So, I I think that there’s and and good lord do they not have any shortage of them to pick from uh for Team Canada. So, I I don’t think that there would be any I don’t I don’t think it’ll be any um any like challenge for them. Um, if they wanted to get crazy, they could they could even try a guy like a Min Celibbrini, you know, who his intensity can match McKinnons and then you could you could throw Lil Conor Bard on the right side and you could just have like a sort of a passing of the torch. It’s not pass the torch just yet. Um, this is just turning into bring your kid to work day. Yeah, that’s exactly it. All right. Is there is there a specific pick you want to see then? First of all, Conor McDavid with McKinnon. Is that an option beyond the power play where obviously they’re probably going to do something like that? And if you have McKinnon and Crosby, who’s the third guy? Is do you go with a kid or is there someone else you’d like to see play with Mac? I feel like a kid would be fun. Okay. A kid would be a lot of fun for me, but I I don’t know if he’s going to make the team, but I I if they wanted to put him on the wing, I think it’d be really fun to put Nick Suzuki at center with them because uh his two-way game is really, really, really you’re giving Mac two adults at that point. Yeah. Now, now he gets to go off and and be the full full child. uh he can which could be a great time. It could be a great time. Now, I’m I am all about um they’ve got so many great two-way players that I think you could get a little creative with it, but it it has to be tempting to go like McDavid, McKinnon, like Connor, like seriously Connor Bard on the right wing. That at least has to be a temptation, right? Sure. until you’re in your own zone and you’re terrified. But they’re gonna have the puck and when they don’t have the puck, it’s because the other team’s going to be fishing it out of the back of the net. They don’t have to worry about the defense at that point. Maybe might be the case. I don’t know. I like the idea of a a Mlin Celibbrini. Maybe. I mean, I just love Mlin Celibbrini, so I won’t argue with you there regardless of whether it’s next to McKinnon or not. But rooting rooting for the United States. I don’t love it. Don’t do that. Yeah, but I’m always a traitor at the Olympics. I rarely root for the US in most things. Fair. Valid. I I did want to dive into that conversation, though. Look, clearly Canada is going to be the favorite at any international competition when it comes to hockey. Is US clearly number two? Can we call US the number two favorite or or have Sweden and Finland at very least made that a conversation? No, I don’t think they’ve made it a conversation. Um, assuming Connor Halabuk, Jay Cottinger are healthy in net. Um, you have to love that. Their depth in net is really good. Uh, defensively they’re good up and down. They’re very deep at forward. They’re deeper than they than we expected them to be because they’ve had some kids that have taken some steps forward. guys that we thought might be on the outside looking in. Guy like a guy like Cole Coughfield that’s kind of like crashed the American party and you’re like, “Yeah, I fully expect that the uh uh American brass will find a way to screw it up because they’re going to try and build a roster around a bunch of big and ugly.” Um and instead of being like, “Hey, let’s lean into high elite skill.” Yeah. Mhm. But I I think the Americans at least have to be the the the the second banana on that pecking order right now. Um no offense, like Sweden and Finland are going to be very very good. And if any of those four countries wins the gold medal, I’m not going to be shocked. I understand too that like this is more of a national situation than four nations was. But I look at how much especially Finland struggled to kind of put a full roster together for four nations in that tournament. And yes, you have more to pick and choose from with a a team Finland at the Olympics, but I still don’t think that’s enough for some of the star power that a team Canada and a team US have to put together. With that said, you in the USA is a a clear silver medal for me. This is an interesting point too, Bailey, because usually when you’re going into an Olympic cycle, you say, “Well, maybe we can take these international guys because they’re used to playing on international ice, or in Finland’s case, they’ve always had that weird in between ice, but a bigger ice rink.” Um, and this time that’s not the case at all. They’re going to be playing on a rink smaller than NHL size, so the pace is going to be even faster. So I do wonder a little bit about is there a bit of an adjustment for is that an advantage for a team like a team Finland or a team Sweden who maybe is used to playing on ice that big. Maybe I we’re going to find out at this Olympics if it matters. Although I I think Sweden at least certainly will have like a might might be a 100% NHL roster at the Olympics. Finley felt a little short, but Sweden’s going to have a really good roster and um I mean if Yesper Walstead doesn’t give up any goals until then, it’s a pretty good equalizer. Y um that’s and I think the goalending is look, it’s the biggest weakness on the Canadian roster by a million miles. And we know that in a short form tournament like this, yeah, it’s like if you if they pick the wrong goalender, if Canada picks the goalender, it’s oh, he’s got two bad games or he lays an egg and right in the middle of a medal round, you know, like you’re done. Yep. And you get a you you get goalenders that you look Sweden, Finland, the United States, they all have elite offerings in net, like elite players that they can turn to. Mhm. And Canada’s going, “Well, we sure hope Jordan Bennington is good by then. Good luck.” You know, like it’s he could not be and he will still probably go. So, and like like we were joking on a pod this week about, oh, maybe Canada should just pick Colorado’s battery, both parts of it. just take those guys and take Logan Thompson and you’re you’re fine. I mean the frankly the the two Avalanche goalenders are arguably best equipped to play behind an elite team like this because they understand what this life is like every day. They know they’re about to face 12 shots on any given night. Exactly. Like they’re comfortable with that world where it’s it’s it’s a strange thing, but goalenders have told you time and time again when they’re facing 35 shots comfortable. They’re in a rhythm. Y they’re every every shift, you know, they’re working and it’s a tougher job at times to stay in it mentally when you’re facing 16 shots on goal and you face four in the first period, you know, like you it’s harder for you to work your way into the game that way. And both of the avalanche guys are com going to be comfortable with that. And that’s the I think that’s the great equalizer there is that right now in net Canada that there’s a possibility for for them to just shoot themselves in the foot because they’re going to just insist that Jordan Bennington is the guy. Yep. I’ll ask the question then. Do you think an ABS goalender is on Canada’s roster game one of the Olympics? One of the three. Yes. Okay. game. Yes. No. That That’s my short answer. Yes. Is it their third goalender that’s not going to play at all? Maybe. Yeah. That’s the situation that I’m going on in my head is who is the healthy scratch, right? For me, the as far as third strings go, yes, absolutely. Or quote unquote third strings, however they decide to deploy that. Yes. All right. Somebody will be there. We’re staking our claim there. I won’t lie. I’m not going to pretend like I know the depth of a Czecha or a German roster coming into this Olympics, but do you guys have any any dark horse pick for a medal? It I Czecha. Okay. Yeah. I I mean that’s once you actually start to look down that roster, you’re going, “Oh, okay. This is actually pretty good.” And I I think that there’s enough sneaky good talent. And those are always countries like the the thing with the European countries that they’ve got is that these guys all grew up playing together. They all played internationally together. They’re all they’re all friends, you know, they all know each other and they they have experience together. And when you’re when you’re the United States and you’re Canada and you’re just rotating rosters all the time because you’re just going, “All right, well, we’re going to go with who’s really really good now.” Yeah. Huge advantage in terms of talent. But in terms of the cohesion, I mean, we see this it’s it’s the same thing that we see in the Olympics, uh, the summer Olympics with basketball and why Yeah. the United States gets pushed every time even though they have entirely just out talented people. Yeah. Top to bottom, they’ve got the most talented roster. They don’t necessarily have the best roster for playing together. Y and these countries are full of these smaller countries are full of guys that have spent their whole lives doing international competitions together. the the same is going to be true for hockey where these guys are all, you know, very familiar. Team Finland is just going to be like half of Dallas’s roster. So, you know, they’ve got all kinds of experience dominating games together. So, I I that’s that’s the one thing that that you do like with those smaller countries that you’re like, “Yeah, that’s why I say if if that plus a hot all it takes.” Yeah. it straight up like and and with a smaller rink, you’re going to get a little more dump and chase. It’s going to neutralize speed a little bit more. All right. Well, there goes I think particularly Canada’s biggest advantage is the speed that they’re going to be able to play at. Sure. Because they’re going to have all the fastest, you know, between Nathan McKinnon and and Conor McDavid and Braden Point, you know, like they can just roll out. Yep. Go Zoom. Yeah. like 10 of the 20 fastest skaters in the world, they’re just going to be like, “Well, but you have a you have an accidentally smaller rink than you were supposed to, smaller than an NHL rink. Well, that neutralizes it a little bit. This is this is all an anti-Canadian conspiracy, I decided. Anti-American. Well, I mean, I think it’d be fun for some random nation to win, that’s all. Oh, dude. Like a like a Slovakia or a Germany or something? Just going to say like Germany is the one that I’ve kind of got on my list to kind of watch as well with some of the decent high-end talent there. You got a dry cidle, you’ve got a purka, you’ve got a Riel. Like that’s that’s fun. Yeah. Then Grub is a net and well, who knows about that? But could go either way. Seattle knows all about it. Uh, all right. Put your comments down below. Who you think Nathan McKinnon’s line mate should be at the Olympics or what you think the medal order will go in. This has been the DNBR Avalanche podcast. Go check out our full episodes. Like and subscribe here on YouTube. And we’ll see you in the next one. [Music] [Applause] [Music]

The DNVR Avalanche Podcast dives into everything Colorado Avalanche fans need to know heading into the 2026 Winter Olympics, from Nathan MacKinnon’s role with Team Canada to how Cale Makar and other Avs could shape the tournament. We debate whether MacKinnon should play center or wing, dream up superstar lines with Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, and look at how Canada stacks up against Team USA, Sweden, Finland, Czechia and Germany. The crew breaks down Canada’s goaltending questions, why American netminders like Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger could swing the medal race, and how the smaller-than-NHL ice surface might change the pace and style of play. Drop your picks for MacKinnon’s ideal linemates and your medal predictions in the comments, then like, subscribe, and watch the full DNVR Avalanche episode for more Avs and Olympic coverage. DNVR Avalanche AJ Haefele, Rudo, & Bailey Curtis break down what awards the Colorado Avalanche are on pace to win.

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