The 2026 Milano Winter Olympics are in the books, which means the NHL schedule can finally return to action.
Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin had a dream Olympic break, helping lead Team USA to a gold medal and was even on the ice when Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal vs. Canada on Sunday, Feb. 22.
Advertisement
But Larkin and the rest of the Olympians won’t have much time off, as there are eight games on the schedule for Wednesday, Feb. 25.
1 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 22: Matt Boldy #12 of Team United States scores a goal past Jordan Binnington #50 of Team Canada in the first period during the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
1 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 22: Matt Boldy #12 of Team United States scores a goal past Jordan Binnington #50 of Team Canada in the first period during the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
2 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
Team USA’s Matt Boldy celebrates scoring the first goal of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics men’s hockey gold medal game against Canada.
3 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
Matt Boldy #12 of Team United States celebrates with teammate Brock Faber #14 after scoring a goal in the first period during the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
4 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
Fans of Team United States show their support in the first period during the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
5 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
USA’s #12 Matt Boldy (C) scores the opening goal during the men’s gold medal ice hockey match between Canada and USA at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, on February 22, 2026. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP via Getty Images)
6 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 22: (EDITOR’S NOTE: Image was captured using a remote camera positioned above the field of play.) Matt Boldy #12 of Team United States celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the first period during the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
7 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
USA’s #12 Matt Boldy (C) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the men’s gold medal ice hockey match between Canada and USA at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, on February 22, 2026. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP via Getty Images)
8 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
Matt Boldy of Team United States celebrates after scoring a goal in the first period during the gold medal game between Canada and the United States on Day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
9 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
USA’s players celebrate after USA’s #12 Matt Boldy scored their first goal during the men’s gold medal ice hockey match between Canada and USA at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, on February 22, 2026. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP via Getty Images)
10 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 22: Matt Boldy #12 of Team United States celebrates after scoring a goal in the first period during the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
11 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
Team USA’s Matt Boldy breaks away from Canada’s Devon Toews on his way to scoring the first goal of the gold medal game Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
12 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
Goalie Connor Hellebuyck, center Dylan Larkin (21) and defenseman Noah Hanifin of Team USA defend the net in the first period during the gold medal game against Canada on Day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
13 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
Zach Werenski of the United States is separated from Bo Horvat of Canada during the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
14 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
Fans of Team United States hold up signs prior to the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
15 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
Connor Hellebuyck #37 of Team United States and Jordan Binnington #50 of Team Canada are seen during the warm up prior to the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
16 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
Auston Matthews of the United States greets fans before playing against Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
17 / 17
USA vs Canada men’s hockey in gold medal game of 2026 Winter Olympics
Fans of Team Canada look on prior to the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
The Red Wings, who had three players (Larkin, Lucas Raymond for Sweden and Moritz Seider for Germany) playing in the Olympics, will return to the ice on Thursday, when they face the Ottawa Senators on the road at 7 p.m.
It has been a long break for the Wings, who last played Feb. 4 against the Utah Mammoth, a 4-1 loss on the road, but the first 58 games of the season have been undeniably a success.
Here’s where the Red Wings stand with the Olympic break completed and 24 games to play:
Advertisement
ONE OF THE STARS: Dylan Larkin plays big role as USA ‘exorcises the demons’ vs. Canada
How Red Wings players fared in Olympics
Before we look ahead, let’s look back at how the three Wings did in the Olympic games in Milan.
It’s no secret that Larkin had the memorable Olympics, winning the gold medal and scoring two goals and adding an assist in his six games, but he wasn’t even close to the most productive.
Detroit Red Wings left wing Lucas Raymond (23) and defenseman Moritz Seider (53) and center Dylan Larkin (71) talk before a face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena, Jan. 1, 2026, in Pittsburgh.
That honor goes to Sweden forward Lucas Raymond, who had nine points in just five games, which included just one goal and eight assists. His final assist came in his final game, an overtime loss in the quarterfinals to the United States. He finished third in the tournament in points, behind only Canadian stars Macklin Celebrini and Connor McDavid.
Advertisement
Defenseman Moritz Seider and his Germany squad ended the tournament on a rough note, a 6-2 loss to Slovakia in the quarterfinals, but Seider helped the team advance out of the group stage and had two assists in the tournament.
After a strong start to the season, the Red Wings have 72 points in 58 games and are tied for second place in the Atlantic Division and tied for third in the Eastern Conference.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes both have 78 points to lead their respective divisions, and the Montreal Canadiens also have 72 points, the same as the Wings, but have a game in hand.
Advertisement
Detroit Red Wings playoff odds
Can the Wings finally make the playoffs for the first time under general manager Steve Yzerman and snap a nine-year playoff drought?
If you ask the predictive models, the answer is yes.
MoneyPuck.com gives the Red Wings a 77.8% chance of making the playoffs, which is the fifth highest in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit Red Wings remaining strength of schedule
Returning to the playoffs will not be easy for the Wings, even if the odds are pretty good.
According to Tankathon, the Red Wings have the fifth-toughest remaining schedule, which is as Tankathon points out, is good for teams trying to tank their way to a top pick, but not so good for teams trying to end playoff droughts.
Advertisement
The Red Wings’ toughest remaining opponents are the Tampa Bay Lightning (twice), Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins.
The good news for the Wings? Many of the teams they’re competing with for playoff spots also have tough remaining schedules, with the Penguins, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres and Canadiens all in the top-10 for the toughest schedules left.
Detroit Red Wings at the NHL trade deadline
The Wings have just 24 games left, but the trade deadline has not passed yet.
That won’t happen until 3 p.m. on Friday, March 6.
Will the Wings be a big player at the deadline? That might depend on how they play over the next couple weeks. Last year, the Wings stayed quiet at the deadline, which was a point of contention between Larkin and Yzerman.
Advertisement
The Wings have the most current cap space of any NHL team ($46.15 million), according to PuckPedia, their first-round picks in the next three drafts and prospects to deal. The question is if Yzerman likes any deal enough to pull the trigger to add more top-end talent.
MORE DEADLINE NEWS: What Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman can deal before NHL trade deadline
Detroit Red Wings schedule, next five games
Thursday, Feb. 26: at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (FSND).
Saturday, Feb. 28: at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (FSND).
Monday, March 2: at Nashville Predators, 2 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (FSND).
Wednesday, March 4: vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (FSND).
Friday, March 6: vs. Florida Panthers, 7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (FSND).
Andrew Birkle is an assistant sports editor for the Free Press. Contact him via email at abirkle@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings schedule, NHL trade deadline needs, playoff odds