The Colorado Avalanche are one of the teams that could have the most representatives at the 2026 Olympics. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Artturi Lehkonen, Gabriel Landeskog, Devon Toews, Scott Wedgewood, Brock Nelson, and Martin Necas could all hit the Olympic ice in Milano-Cortina.

And that’s precisely the issue.

According to multiple reports, the arena set to host the Olympic tourney is not ready yet. With about two months to go, construction is still ongoing. But the biggest issue, beyond the irregularly-sized rink, is the quality of the ice.

As Chris Johnston noted in The Athletic, the rink will be 196-85 feet by 85.3 feet. That differs from the NHL-sized 200 by 85 feet that the league required. All right, so that’s not such a big deal. What is a HUGE deal is the quality of the ice.

There will only be one arena for the men’s and women’s hockey tournament. That means a tremendous impact on the ice with virtually no time in between games to reset the surface. That situation has raised player concerns.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly went as far as stating that, if player safety cannot be guaranteed, NHLers aren’t going. That’s no bueno for everyone involved. The last thing NHL owners want is for their players to get hurt on shoddy ice.

Can you imagine Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar blowing out a knee due to terrible ice conditions?

What would happen if someone like Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews suffered a season-ending injury because the surface wasn’t up to scratch?

That’s why the Colorado Avalanche have plenty to be worried about with so many roster players heading to the Olympics. Even if the IIHF and IOC swear the surface is up to standards, there will always be a sliver of doubt.

If the 4 Nations Face-Off served as any indication, serious injuries can occur. Team Canada lost Shea Theodore to a shoulder injury. That affected the Vegas Golden Knights’ season, though Theodore came back towards the tail end of the regular season.

Team USA saw Charlie McAvoy and Matthew Tkachuk go down. The Florida Panthers lost Tkachuk for the remainder of the regular season. While Tkachuk returned for the playoffs, he needed offseason surgery.

McAvoy’s situation was a nightmare scenario that cost the Boston Bruins their best defenseman. So, you would have to think the Bruins aren’t thrilled with McAvoy heading to the Olympics.

If I were Chris MacFarland and Joe Sakic, I would be losing sleep over the uncertainty surrounding the Olympic tourney. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t send any player under those circumstances.

But then again, nothing is up to me. It’s up to the league and the players to decide. So, let’s hope they make the right call, in the game’s best interest.