How NHL GMs are handling the 2026 Olympic breakplayUSA men’s hockey faces challenging road ahead (1:16)Greg Wyshynski breaks down the U.S. men’s hockey team’s potential path to Olympic gold. (1:16)Multiple AuthorsFeb 18, 2026, 08:00 AM ET
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The Los Angeles Kings swung a trade for Artemi Panarin before the Olympic break — only to watch Kevin Fiala suffer a season-ending leg fracture midway through the men’s tournament while playing for Switzerland.
It’s a quick turn of events for the Kings, who are trying to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs for a fifth straight season in a crowded Western Conference.
It also reinforces why NHL front offices have largely remained active during the break because of what’s at stake when the roster freeze lifts Feb. 22 and the regular-season schedule resumes Feb. 25.
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The Kings are one of five teams within 10 points of the Anaheim Ducks for the second Western Conference wild-card opening. In the Eastern Conference, six teams are within eight points of the Boston Bruins for the final wild-card spot. Players who didn’t represent their nations at the Olympics return to practice as early as Tuesday.
Teams have until the March 6 trade deadline to make moves. And while there is a roster freeze, NHL general managers are allowed to speak with each other during the break. They could even come up with the framework for a possible trade but can’t actually trade anyone until the freeze ends.
“There’s nothing that stops people from talking,” Columbus Blue Jackets GM and president of hockey operations Don Waddell stated. “You just can’t consummate a deal, of course. You’re not going to call a guy when he’s either at the Olympics or in Mexico City or Miami or wherever he is and tell him he’s been traded.”
So while teams took a few days to get away from work, these factors play into why there really wasn’t much of a break for front offices trying to navigate a short window that could prove pivotal in making the playoffs.
A TEAM’S SPOT in the pecking order is the most pertinent factor once the roster freeze lifts.
“Our goal during the break here is to touch base with our [restricted and unrestricted free agents] to see where they are because three weeks ago, we weren’t pushing for a playoff spot and I thought we’d be sellers,” Waddell stated. “Now we’re in a different spot where we could become sellers or we could become buyers. Other teams have the same process going on right now.”
NHL front offices are always deliberating about their team’s playoff chances. When February arrives, they are preparing to make decisions.
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What makes this year different is the role the Olympic break plays, especially in the event of an injury. Front offices last took that into consideration in 2014. The teams that played in the Stanley Cup Final that season — the New York Rangers and the eventual champion Kings — each sent more than six players to the Games in Sochi. Both teams made it through those Olympics unscathed.
Other teams, however, were forced to adjust that season. Detroit Red Wings center Henrik Zetterberg withdrew from the Olympics because of a herniated disc flaring up. Zetterberg didn’t return to the Red Wings’ lineup until the first round of the playoffs.
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who is also the GM of Team USA, has nine players competing for their respective nations at the Olympics. That’s the second most of any team. The Tampa Bay Lightning sent 10.
While injuries are a factor, Guerin stated he can’t worry about them because they are out of anyone’s control.
“The way I look at it is we’re very fortunate to have nine Olympians,” Guerin stated. “That means we have good players and a good team, and they have this unique opportunity of a lifetime that we’re all embracing. Of course, there is always risk. You can’t do something like this risk-free, but it’s worth it. If something happens? We’ll figure it out.”
Kings forward Kevin Fiala sustained a tournament- and season-ending injury against Canada. Photo by RvS.Media/Monika Majer/Getty ImagesDALLAS STARS GM Jim Nill, an assistant GM for Canada, stated his front office held its internal hockey operations meetings before the break so the Stars had a blueprint before the Olympic break.
Nill stated every team faces its own questions during internal meetings, trying to assess which teams could make a push for a playoff spot and add players ahead of the deadline, versus teams that might be forced to move on from players because they’ll miss.
The Stars sent seven players to the Olympics and are a point behind the Wild for second place in the Central Division.
“There’s a lot of teams with uncertainty,” Nill stated. “There are a lot of teams in the mix for the playoffs, and I can’t stress enough how important it is for teams and organizations to make the playoffs. Those teams will have to make decisions. Are they buyers? Are they sellers? That’s a lot of uncertainty. But we’ve done our homework and we’re prepared.”
Executives attending the Milan Cortina Games must juggle their front office duties with the responsibilities of their national teams.
“You just can’t be half in or half out on either of them,” Guerin stated. “They each require your full attention.”
GMs AT THE OLYMPICS rely heavily on assistant GMs and other staff back home to help manage day-to-day operations, review contracts for the rest of this season and beyond and make sure everything runs smoothly with their respective AHL affiliates.
There also is scouting — their own players, players from other teams they could be interested in acquiring ahead of the deadline and talent for the upcoming NHL draft.
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There’s also player development work with prospects, and getting coaches and players who didn’t go to the Olympics organized so they can have a strong start once mini-camps open Wednesday.
NHL front offices learned how to work around this kind of a break last season when the league paused for the 4 Nations Face-Off. It will continue in future seasons, as the NHL committed to reinstating the World Cup of Hockey in February 2028 with the Olympics returning in February 2030.
“I’ve heard a lot of players say that the Stanley Cup playoffs is No. 1, but that this is second to that when it comes to the intensity,” Waddell stated. “We’ll get used to it as far as the scheduling and maybe even the preparation going into these and coming out we’ll learn also. This is the longest break we’ve had in a while. … It’s a little different than the norm.”
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