The Colorado Avalanche won’t be very busy on the first day of the 2026 NHL Draft, but they’ll have plenty to take care of on the second day.
In an earlier piece, we looked at the options the Avalanche have for their first pick of the draft, #74 in the third round.
Colorado will then have two more picks in the fourth round. Those would be the 30th and 32nd picks of the fourth round, #126 and #128. The 126th selection is the Avalanche’s own, with the 128th originally belonging to the Carolina Hurricanes. That pick came to Colorado in the Mikko Rantanen trade.
So, let’s dive into who the Avalanche could pick at this juncture of the draft.
#126 – Oscar Olsson, F
The Avalanche are projected to take Oscar Olsson at #126, according to Tankathon. If Olsson is available at this point, he could be a fantastic choice for the Avs. The 18-year-old stands 6’4” and 187 pounds. He can play both wings, providing some potential depth scoring. In 32 games in the Swedish U20 league, Olsson scored 14 goals and 30 points.
There’s a chance he could be gone by then. If that’s the case, potentially another big forward could be on the board, Simon Katolicky. Katolicky is also 6’4” and 201 pounds. He can also play both sides of the ice, but has shown a much lower offensive upside.
The Avs might also have a chance to take another sizeable forward, Jake Gustafson, who’s projected to go at #124. He also stands 6’4” and 185 pounds. His offensive upside is a little better, scoring 13 goals and 25 points in 68 games in the WHL. With his size, there is a very good chance that Gustafson, like Olsson and Katolicky, could eventually become solid NHL forwards.
#128 – Sean Burick, D
The Avalanche are projected to continue picking size and bulk. Tankathon shows Colorado taking defenseman Sean Burick out of the WHL with the 128th pick.
Burick is by no means an offensive dynamo. He only notched four assists in 50 games in the WHL this past season. But his overall frame screams of a shutdown defenseman. He could morph into someone like Josh Manson.
He’ll be going to the University of Denver next season. Playing for coach David Carle and the NCAA champs should be a solid boost to his development. If he’s still on the board by this point, the Avs have to take him.
In fact, I would venture to pick him at #126 if he were still available by then. The Avs would have other options at forward with the following picks, so it would make sense to take him at this point.
If Burick were off the board by the time the Avs get to #126 or #128, two other big blueliners could be within reach. Samuel Eriksson, 6’5”, 212 pounds, and Eric Frossard, 6’5”, 205 pounds, could make solid choices.
Both Eriksson and Frossard figure to be early fifth-round picks. But if they’re still around, they could be interesting alternatives.
Avalanche targeting size in Round 4 makes sense
In all fairness, the options available late in the fourth round don’t scream NHL superstar. But the Avalanche could certainly use big, physical wingers and defensemen, considering that some of the team’s bigger players, like Valeri Nichushkin and Josh Manson, will be aging out in the next couple of seasons.
So, why not target larger players who still have room to physically develop and grow into solid depth roles?
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