It’s no secret that the Vancouver Canucks haven’t had a great season, but how would they stack up against the men’s hockey teams in the 2026 Winter Olympics?
That’s a question NHL Hall of Famer and former first overall pick Mike Modano answered on his show on TSN. Overdrivesaying the Swiss team would beat the Canucks “maybe seven” times in a 10-game series.
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“I always thought the Swiss played a very good team game, but that’s the only thing that saves them and keeps these matches going, but they don’t really have anyone to open the matches,” he explained on the show. “They always seem to play really tight defensively and play well, and they wear you down hoping you make a mistake. I don’t know if Vancouver has that type of patience in their game anymore.”
Vancouver, which currently ranks 32nd in the NHL, has seven members of the organization currently attending the 2026 Winter Olympics: Elias Pettersson (Sweden), Kevin Lankinen (Finland), Teddy Blueger and Anri Ravinskis (Latvia), Filip Hronek and David Kämpf (Czechia) and Lukas Reichel (Germany). Only five of these players play regularly with their NHL club.
The Swiss roster, despite only having 10 active NHL players, is still filled with high-end talent. Notable players include three New Jersey Devils: captain Nico Hischier, forward Timo Meier and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler; Kevin Fiala of the Los Angeles Kings (who suffered an unfortunate injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the Olympics); and former Canucks center Pius Suter. Additionally, Nashville Predators star and former James Norris Memorial Trophy winner Roman Josi leads the way from their blue line.
Switzerland, who are in Group A at the 2026 Winter Olympics, faced Hronek and Kämpf in their match against Czechia earlier in the day, earning a surprising 4-3 victory in overtime. Their only preliminary round loss came against Canada, which they lost by a score of 5–1. Switzerland finished the preliminary round in second place in Group A with a record of 1-1-0-1.
February 15, 2026; Milan, Italy; Dean Kukan of Switzerland celebrates his fourth goal with teammates against Czechia in the men’s ice hockey group A play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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