Could Team Switzerland Beat the Canucks in a Series? Mike Modano Thinks So
The Vancouver Canucks’ 2025-26 season has been, to put it kindly, a grind. Sitting at the bottom of the NHL standings, the team has struggled to find consistency, identity, and, most importantly, wins. And now, their rough season has sparked a bold comparison - one that pits them against a national team on the rise.
NHL Hall-of-Famer Mike Modano raised eyebrows this week when he appeared on TSN’s OverDrive and suggested that Team Switzerland - yes, the Olympic squad - could beat the Vancouver Canucks in a 10-game series. Not once or twice, but “maybe seven” times.
It’s a spicy take, but let’s unpack it.
“I’ve always thought the Swiss play a real good team game,” Modano said. “They always seem to play real tight defensively, and play good, and just kind of wear you down and hope you make a mistake. I don’t know if Vancouver has that type of patience in their game anymore.”
He’s not wrong about Switzerland’s structure. The Swiss have built a reputation over the past decade as one of the most disciplined, system-driven teams on the international stage. They don’t have the star power of a Canada or a USA, but what they do have is cohesion - and that matters, especially in short tournaments or hypothetical series like this one.
Vancouver’s Olympic Presence - But Limited NHL Firepower
The Canucks do have a presence at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Seven players from the organization are representing their countries: Elias Pettersson (Sweden), Kevin Lankinen (Finland), Teddy Blueger and Anri Ravinskis (Latvia), Filip Hronek and David Kämpf (Czechia), and Lukas Reichel (Germany).
But here’s the catch: only five of those players are regulars with the NHL club. It’s a reminder of just how thin the Canucks’ active roster is right now in terms of top-tier talent - and why comparisons to a well-drilled national team like Switzerland, while unusual, aren’t completely outlandish.
Switzerland’s NHL Core Is Quietly Impressive
Switzerland’s Olympic roster might not be loaded with NHL superstars, but it’s not short on quality. The team features 10 active NHLers, with a few names that should make any coach envious.
Leading the way is Roman Josi, the Nashville Predators’ cornerstone defenseman and a former Norris Trophy winner. Up front, they’ve got a trio from the New Jersey Devils in captain Nico Hischier, power forward Timo Meier, and reliable blueliner Jonas Siegenthaler.
Kevin Fiala of the Los Angeles Kings was expected to be a key piece as well, though he’s been sidelined for the rest of the Olympics due to injury. And then there’s Pius Suter, a familiar face in Vancouver, now helping lead the charge for the Swiss.
That group gives Switzerland a solid NHL spine, and when you combine that with their trademark defensive structure and team-first mentality, you start to see why Modano’s claim carries some weight.
Switzerland’s Olympic Performance Adds Fuel to the Fire
Switzerland’s showing at the 2026 Winter Olympics has only added credibility to the conversation. Slotted into Group A, they just pulled off an overtime win against Czechia - a team featuring two Canucks regulars in Hronek and Kämpf - by a score of 4-3. That win helped them lock up second place in the group with a 1-1-0-1 record, their only loss coming against powerhouse Canada in a 5-1 defeat.
In that Czechia matchup, defenseman Dean Kukan delivered the game-winner in OT - a fitting example of the kind of depth and resilience this Swiss team brings to the ice. They may not overwhelm opponents with flash, but they win with structure, discipline, and timely execution.
So… Could They Really Beat the Canucks?
It’s a hypothetical, sure - but not an outrageous one.
Right now, the Canucks are a team in transition. Their core pieces are either underperforming, injured, or still developing.
Their systems have looked disjointed, and their defensive play has been inconsistent at best. Compare that to a Swiss team that’s been playing together in a tightly organized system, with NHL-caliber leadership and a clear identity, and it’s not hard to imagine them giving Vancouver a serious run in a best-of-10 series.
Would it really be 7-3 in favor of Switzerland? That’s up for debate. But the fact that we’re even having this conversation says a lot about where the Canucks are - and how far Switzerland has come on the international hockey stage.
One thing’s for sure: if you’re a Canucks fan, this Olympic break has been a mixed bag. There’s pride in seeing your players represent their countries, but the contrast between the cohesion of teams like Switzerland and the struggles back home in Vancouver is hard to ignore.
As the Olympics roll on and the NHL season resumes, the Canucks will need to find some of that Swiss-style patience and discipline - or the comparisons won’t be going away anytime soon.