The NHL has halted its regular season until February 25 for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, allowing numerous players to represent their countries in the men's hockey tournament starting February 11. Several teams entered the break with strong records, while others face trade deadline decisions. Key storylines include late roster additions, notable snubs, and international rivalries among teammates.
The 2026 Winter Olympics men's hockey preliminary round begins on February 11, shifting the NHL's focus to the international stage in Milan-Cortina, Italy. The league-wide pause follows games on February 5, giving players a chance to compete for gold while teams assess their positions ahead of the March 6 trade deadline.
A major development is Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes joining Team Canada as an injury replacement for Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jarvis, leading the Hurricanes in goals during a career year, was initially snubbed but now joins a stacked forward group. This decision drew criticism in Chicago, where Blackhawks star Connor Bedard, scoring at a near point-per-game pace in his sophomore season, was overlooked in favor of Jarvis's two-way play.
Other notable participations include Connor McDavid making his Olympic debut for Canada after missing prior games due to NHL non-participation and COVID-19 disruptions. He leads the league in points and is expected to center Canada's top line. Leon Draisaitl leads Team Germany alongside Oilers rookie Josh Samanski, while Sebastian Aho serves as alternate captain for medal contender Finland, reuniting with Teuvo Teravainen of the Blackhawks.
Teammate rivalries highlight Group C, where USA's Jaccob Slavin (Hurricanes) faces Denmark's Frederik Andersen and Nikolaj Ehlers (Hurricanes) on February 14. For the Winnipeg Jets, Nino Niederreiter carries Switzerland's flag, joined by Josh Morrissey on Canada, and Kyle Connor with Connor Hellebuyck on USA. The New York Islanders send Bo Horvat to Canada and Ondrej Palat, a recent acquisition from New Jersey, to Czechia, while Ilya Sorokin rests due to Russia's ban.
The New York Rangers, last in the East at 22-29-6 after a 2-0 loss to Carolina on February 5, have Mika Zibanejad on Sweden and J.T. Miller with Vincent Trocheck on USA. Edmonton trails Vegas in the Pacific, with snubs like Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman, and Mattias Ekholm gaining rest. Montreal's Nick Suzuki plays bottom-six for Canada, Juraj Slafkovsky stars for Slovakia, Oliver Kapanen for Finland, and Alexandre Texier for France, amid snubs of Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson.
Teams like Carolina (36-15-6, first in Metropolitan) and Islanders (32-21-5, third) enter strong, while Jets and Rangers shift toward selling assets like Nino Niederreiter or Logan Stanley for draft picks.
