It’s finally here. The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina will have its opening ceremonies on Friday. Starting on Wednesday, men’s hockey will feature NHL players after missing the previous two winter games.
The NHL season is now on its Olympic break. What a crazy ride it’s been so far with so many games played in so little time. Once play resumes, teams will sprint to the finish line with anywhere from 24-28 games remaining.
All of the attention, and rightfully so, will be on the upcoming games in Milan-Cortina. But there is one thing that might not be getting enough attention related to the resumption of the NHL season once a country wins a gold medal.
Once the season resumes on Feb 25, there will be just nine days until the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline. Teams will only have a handful of games to decide the course they want to take for the rest of the season.
Here’s the kicker. What we see in Milan-Cortina could directly impact what we see at the Trade Deadline.
Let’s start with a quick refresher of some of the rules around the Olympic break now that we’re here. Thursday night was the last set of games in the NHL for the next three weeks.
As of 3 P.M. eastern on Feb 4, a trade freeze was in effect that will last until Feb 22 at 11:59 P.M. eastern. That corresponds with the date of the men’s gold medal game.
Teams are not allowed to practice in any capacity between Feb 6 and Feb 16. This will provide everyone a time to rest, relax and recharge. This also allows much-needed time for the injured to heal and be ready for the stretch drive.
That last part about the injured is what will be the central focus of our story. The NHL has seen more than its fair share of big injuries this season. The compressed schedule is seen as a potential factor in that. More games in less time played allows for less recovery time between games as well as a higher risk of injury given the extra exposure.
All teams have been subjected to this given the Olympics and the built-in break that goes with it. No one has been immune to the extra stress of a packed schedule. The break has come at a great time for most everyone in the league.
Now as we look ahead to the tournament, we’re going to see something play out that has the potential to dramatically impact the rest of the NHL season. There’s something to be said about the best players in the world all in one place playing for one of the game’s ultimate prizes, a gold medal. You thought the 4-Nations Faceoff was physical? You haven’t seen anything yet.
One important deadline has already passed. Teams had until Wednesday to make trades before the freeze took effect. Both Artemi Panarin and Nick Bjugstad found new homes prior to the trade freeze.
Teams had to decide if anything was worth pursuing before the Olympics. Consideration had to be given to their position in the standings, if any potential trade made sense and if the timing was right. Some teams would do better waiting until the last minute for cap purposes.
Here’s where things get really interesting. It appears several teams wanted to see the Olympics play out before deciding what to do. In hindsight, it makes a ton of sense.