Olympics could be a tense time for Colorado Avalanche

With the Olympic roster freeze upon us, the countdown has begun to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games. Players like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar will be eager to bite down on the gold medal when the games are done.

Other Avalanche stars like Brock Nelson and Gabriel Landeskog will have something to say about that. In fact, Avs fans would love to see every Colorado player get a gold medal.

But beyond the evident goal of winning a medal at the Olympics, the tourney will also be a tense time for the club. The possibility of a star player sustaining an injury on the suspicious ice surface is a real one. Avs GM Chris MacFarland could well have his doctor on speed dial as the loss of a star player would be catastrophic.

Anyone thinking that’s hyperbole should think about the way MacKinnon and Makar attack the game. MacKinnon plays like an attack dog. He doesn’t back down and isn’t shy about running through people. Similarly, Makar’s smooth-flowing, silky skating could lead to a disastrous spill on shoddy ice.

Now, the people running the show at the Olympics have said that everything will be up to NHL specs. Insiders like Chris Johnston have gone over to Italy to see the situation for themselves. The initial reports suggest that everything will be fine. Perhaps the fears expressed in the conversations are blown out of proportion.

But I will say this: There is an evident business component to all pro sports. Since players are people, they are irreplaceable. In the case of players like McKinnon, Makar, Landeskog or Nelson, it's virtually impossible to find players at the same level. You can find comparable talents, but not equal ones.

Hopefully, the Olympics will go without a hitch. The expectation is that everyone will return and be just fine, ready to jump back into the stretch run of the NHL season.

But after the New York Islanders lost then-captain John Tavares for the season following an injury in 2014, there was always been the fear that something like that could happen again.

Last year’s Four Nations Face-Off saw the Boston Bruins lose Charlie McAvoy and the Florida Panthers Matthew Tkachuk. McAvoy didn’t return last season. Tkachuk was out for the remainder of the regular season and played hurt during the playoffs.

That’s a very real possibility that the Colorado Avalanche, like every other club, face in the coming weeks.