After nearly three weeks off for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the 2025-26 NHL regular season will resume on Wednesday night. Eight games are on the schedule as the league returns to play, starting what’s sure to be an action-packed next nine days leading up to the trade deadline.
For the Chicago Blackhawks, they’ll hold one final practice on Wednesday before boarding the plane and heading to Nashville, where they face the Predators for their first game out of the break on Thursday. Four games remain for the Blackhawks until the deadline arrives, and there are plenty of decisions for GM Kyle Davidson to make regarding the pending unrestricted free agents.
More in the links for a preview of the Blackhawks trade deadline outlook, plus some predictions on who ends up getting dealt.
Around the league, Sidney Crosby is set to miss significant time coming out of the Olympic break, an update on Jonathan Toews ahead of the deadline, and a trade between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche.
All that & more in the Daily
Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: Only nine days remain until the 2026 NHL trade deadline, leaving buyers and sellers alike little time from the Olympic break to make roster adjustments. Once again, the Chicago Blackhawks will be sellers at this year’s deadline. However, it’s unlikely that more than two or three players are traded. Here’s CHN’s preview of who stays and who goes before Mar. 6 arrives.
In KHL news, prospect Roman Kantserov scored his league-leading 32nd goal of the season on Tuesday. Kantserov, 21, remains the only player in the KHL to have scored at least 30 goals this year and is eighth in the league with 58 points.
After having the afternoon off, Connor Bedard, Colton Dach, Oliver Moore, and Ryan Greene hit the United Center to show support for the Chicago Bulls against the Charlotte Hornets last night. The four Blackhawks players were shown sitting courtside. After the game, they swapped jerseys with several members of the Bulls, such as Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
Sportsnet: Now that the Olympic break has concluded, it’s officially trade season across the NHL. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche swapped defensemen on Tuesday, with Brett Kulak getting traded for Samuel Girard. A 2028 second-round draft choice is also going to Pittsburgh, along with Girard.
Forever Blueshirts: Better late than never, I guess. Despite getting traded to the Los Angeles Kings well ahead of the Olympics, Artemi Panarin finally released a heartfelt message to New York Rangers fans, thanking them for their support during his seven seasons with the team.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Not the best of news for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After getting injured while representing Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Sidney Crosby will miss multiple weeks for the Pittsburgh Penguins coming out of the break. Crosby isn’t expected to rejoin the lineup until late March.
Detroit Hockey Now: It’s been a chaotic last few days for Dylan Larkin, who helped Team USA win a Gold Medal in Milan and has been celebrating ever since. Impressively, Larkin is still expected to be in the Detroit Red Wings lineup when the team returns to play on Thursday.
Sportsnaut: Speaking of Team USA, President Donald Trump awarded goaltender Connor Hellebuyck with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday, as the Gold-Medal winning squad attended the White House.
The Athletic: The Winnipeg Jets haven’t had the season they were hoping for up to this point, as they are likely about to go from President Trophy winners to missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Even though it’s shaping up to be a postseason absence for the Jets, Jonathan Toews isn’t expected to waive his no-movement clause to get traded to a contender.
NHL.com: The Tampa Bay Lightning are expecting several reinforcements on Wednesday when they return to play. Both Victor Hedman and Brayden Point are likely to rejoin the lineup, giving the Bolts their healthiest group since well before the Olympics. Emil Lilleberg and Charle-Edouard D’Astous are also expected to return from injury.
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