Team Canada
As opposed to the Americans, Team Canada had an Avalanche player present at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. First-line center Matt Duchene didn’t make it into the top six on a star-loaded team, but he was there, and he was an important team member of a gold-winning team.
More from Mile High Sticking
- Could Colorado Avalanche move on from Pavel Francouz next offseason?
- 4 goalies to replace Pavel Francouz if he has to miss time
- Colorado Avalanche make sneaky signing with Tatar
- Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog could return in 2023-24 playoffs
- Colorado Avalanche rookie face-off tournament roster
Out of 17 Canadians on the Avalanche’s roster, he will likely also be the only one with a real shot at making it again. To get there, he will have to improve on his 55-point season in 2014-15, though. As we all know, Canada has so many elite players, Duchene is just one among many — and the team can afford leaving him off the roster.
While it would be a rather big surprise, Tyson Barrie could also have a shot at making it. In the 2014-15 campaign, Barrie was the defenseman (10+ games played) with the highest iCorsi rating in the league — on a terrible possession team. He is one of the best offensive defensemen in the league, which is something that could help any team.
Colorado Avalanche players who will make the roster: —
Colorado Avalanche players on the roster bubble: Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie
Next: Team Sweden