After one last Sunday enjoying NFL football, it’s time for the attention to shift toward the upcoming 2026 men’s Olympic hockey tournament, which begins on Wednesday in Milan, Italy.
Congratulations to Sam Darnold, Kenneth Walker, and the rest of the Seattle Seahawks for their Super Bowl victory, by the way. What a dominant performance by the Seahawks’ defense, too. Drake Maye should probably stay off the internet for a little while. And personally, I thought the Bad Bunny Halftime Show was rather entertaining. Well done.
Getting back to hockey, Olympic practices have begun for most countries participating, and some potential line combinations and defensive pairings have been revealed. Plus, leadership groups were announced over the weekend.
In Blackhawks news, another member of the Rockford IceHogs is joining Nick Lardis and Kevin Korchinski at the AHL All-Star Classic this week.
Around the league, the potential price tag to pry Robert Thomas out of St. Louis, what the Pittsburgh Penguins need to add at the trade deadline, and some playoff droughts that could end this season.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: In case you were dialed in on the Super Bowl all weekend, a wild series of events unfolded late last week. As it turns out, the first-round pick that the Chicago Blackhawks received from the Florida Panthers in the Seth Jones-Spencer Knight trade is actually top-ten protected. Somehow, both fanbases and most media members just found out about the condition 11 months after the trade was completed.
More CHN: While Team Canada needed to replace both Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point on its Olympic roster, Connor Bedard still wasn’t named as a replacement. Instead, Canada bypassed Bedard once again and named Sam Bennett and Seth Jarvis to the team.
In AHL news, Rockford IceHogs captain Brett Seney will be joining Kevin Korchinski and Nick Lardis at the AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held in Rockford this week on Feb. 10 and 11. Seney, 29, has 35 points (10G, 25A) in 41 games this season.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
NHL.com: To no surprise, Team Canada named Sidney Crosby as its captain for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
ESPN: Much like the 4 Nations Face-Off, Austin Matthews will don the “C” for the Red, White, and Blue in Milan. Matthews was named the United States’ captain over the weekend, while Matthew Tkachuk and Charlie McAvoy serve as alternates.
Sportsnet: Jon Cooper, Canada’s head coach, rolled out some first-look line combinations during practice on Sunday. Young gun Macklin Celebrini is up on the top line with Connor McDavid and Tom Wilson, while Brad Marchand and Nick Suzuki played the wings with Nathan MacKinnon on the second line. Captain Crosby centered the third line with Mark Stone and Mitch Marner.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Speaking of Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, here are two trade needs GM Kyle Dubas should consider when the NHL roster freeze lifts.
New Jersey Hockey Now: After one day of practice, it wasn’t clear what New Jersey Devils’ forward Jack Hughes’ role would be for Team USA. But after they hit the ice again on Monday, the line combinations were unveiled, and Hughes’ role became more defined.
NHLtraderumors.me: More changes are coming for the St. Louis Blues before the end of the season. Nick Kypreos reports that star forward Robert Thomas won’t be easy to pry away however, as his price tag is very high. Perhaps even higher than what the Colorado Avalanche netted in return for Mikko Rantanen last year.
Colorado Hockey Now: More on the Colorado Avalanche — defenseman Cale Makar was named as one of two alternate captains for Team Canada at the 2026 Olympics.
TSN: It’s not only the Buffalo Sabres who have a chance to snap a long postseason drought this year. So too could the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks. Those are the three longest missed playoff streaks in the league, and they each sit in a postseason spot at the Olympic break.
Daily Faceoff: Gabriel Landeskog is healthy enough to suit up at the Olympics, and he was named Sweden’s captain over the weekend. Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson, both of which have also been injured this season, are the alternate captains.
More NHL.com: Mikael Grandlund, who was captain previously for Finland at the World Juniors, will be in the same role for his country in Milan. Mikko Rantanen and Sebastian Aho serve as the two alternates.
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