Deen’s Daily: Avalanche Among Finalists for Jonathan Toews; Winter Olympics Preliminary Rosters

The Avs are reportedly among the two finalists for a veteran forward. They’ll also have at least four players representing their nations in the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics. Also, the Stanley Cup Final could come to an end tonight.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 17.

Colorado Hockey Now

Jonathan Toews can’t officially sign until July 1 but it sounds like he’s narrowing in on a decision. According to Chris Johnston on his SDPN podcast, it sounds like the 37-year-old is deciding between the Winnipeg Jets and the Avs.

Both teams make a lot of sense for the three-time Stanley Cup champion. Toews is from Winnipeg and would be returning home to be a useful centerman for a franchise that needs depth at that position. The Avs have addressed their center depth needs with recent acquisitions of Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle, and Jack Drury. But Toews would still be a welcoming add.

Anytime they can get their hands on a veteran depth piece, it helps. And Toews, who grew up a big fan of Joe Sakic, wears No. 19 for that reason. He would obviously need to change his number if he chose Colorado as his next destination. But we’ll bark up that tree if the time comes.

I still wonder which route the Avs take at the forward position this summer. On defense, it’s no question in my mind that they badly need to remake their D core past the first pair. How much they do will be determined.

But at forward, they can either shore up the depth on the bottom two lines or make a big swing in their top six. If the more unlikely route is the one they choose, I’ve been mulling over a trade scenario for the last handful of weeks that could make sense. Read more about it below.

Read More: Necas for Peterka: Are the Avalanche Positioned for a Sneaky One-for-One Trade?

The first six names for each of the 12 nations partaking in the 2026 Winter Olympics were announced earlier in the week. Four Avs are among them.

Gabe Landeskog, Sweden

Martin Necas, Czechia

Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, Canada

Read More: Offseason Musings: Rumors Galore — An Avalanche of Opportunities to Explore

Stanley Cup Final Series

Game 1: EDM 4-3 OT (Series: 1-0 EDM)
Game 2: FLA 5-4 OT (Series: 1-1 tied)
Game 3: FLA 6-1 (Series: 2-1 FLA)
Game 4: EDM 5-4 OT (Series: 2-2 tied)
Game 5: FLA 5-2 (Series: 3-2 FLA)
Game 6: EDM at FLA (Tuesday, June 17)
Game 7: FLA at EDM (Friday, June 20)

Around The NHL

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Evgeni Malkin is entering the last year of his contract. Is this going to be the end of his NHL career?

Florida Hockey Now: The hype in Florida is growing as the Panthers look to win their second Stanley Cup in a row on home ice.

Detroit Hockey Now: Isaac Howard doesn’t want to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Should the Michigan State star be a target for the Red Wings?