February 10, 2026
Colorado Avalanche right wing Martin Necas (lower body) will be available for Team Czechia's Olympic opener against Canada on Thursday. Prior to the Olympic break, Necas sat out three Colorado games due to a lower-body injury. Ahead of Thursday's matchup, Necas has practiced with David Pastrnak and Tomas Hertl on the first line. Much of Czechia's tournament success hinges on the performance of its top trio. Necas has been in hot form this season, logging 62 points (22 goals, 40 assists) in 52 appearances with the Avalanche.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 9, 2026
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Jonas Rondbjerg (undisclosed) will miss the 2026 Olympics. Team Denmark has replaced him on the roster with defenseman Malte Setkov, a former Detroit Red Wings fourth-round draft pick who plays in the local Danish league. Rondbjerg is dealing with an undisclosed injury and was deemed week-to-week by Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy last Monday. The Danish winger has spent most of the season in the minors, registering one assist in four appearances with the big club. In the AHL, Rondbjerg has managed 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 36 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: IIHF
February 9, 2026
Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand (undisclosed) is on track to play for Team Canada against Czechia at the Olympics on Thursday. The veteran forward practiced on Sunday, skating on a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Nick Suzuki on a stacked team. Marchand has been banged up this season and played in only five of the Panthers' final 15 games before the Olympic break. Florida has received great production from Marchand when he has been on the ice, as the 37-year-old has tallied 25 goals and 50 points in 46 outings. Marchand could also be a scoring machine for Canada if he sticks with MacKinnon.
--Taavi PailkSource: TSN
February 9, 2026
Colorado Avalanche winger Gabriel Landeskog (upper body) is good to go for the 2026 Olympics. The veteran forward hasn't played since early January, but he has shaken off an upper-body injury in time for the Olympic tournament. Team Sweden named Landeskog captain. After overcoming a career-threatening knee injury, Landeskog has tallied 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 41 games with the Avalanche this season. At Sunday's practice, Landeskog skated on a line with Alexander Wennberg of the San Jose Sharks and Adrian Kempe of the Los Angeles Kings.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 9, 2026
New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes (lower body) will be available for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Before the international break, Hughes missed three Devils games due to a lower-body injury. Nevertheless, following full practice on Sunday, he's ready to suit up alongside his brother Quinn. It's been a stop-start season for Hughes due to health issues, but he's been productive when on the ice, averaging a point per game. In 36 outings, Hughes has recorded 12 goals and 24 assists. On Sunday, Hughes worked on a line with Dylan Larkin and Tage Thompson.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 7, 2026
Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes is set to be one of the standout players at the 2026 Olympic tournament. The American blue-liner has been in great form recently, setting a new Wild record for the longest assist streak by a defenseman. Hughes has had at least one helper in 10 consecutive appearances. This has also made him the first defenseman in NHL history with an assist streak of at least 10 games in his first season with a franchise. Thanks to his impressive playmaking ability, Hughes is tied with Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov for the longest active point streak in the NHL. Overall, Hughes has tallied 31 assists and 34 points in 26 appearances with the Wild, averaging a massive 28:18 of ice time. He is also set to eat up a lot of ice time on Team USA's blue line, along with Columbus' Zach Werenski and Boston's Charlie McAvoy.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 7, 2026
Forward Juho Lammikko has rejoined the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League. The 30-year-old originally signed with the team in 2022 but returned to the NHL for the start of the 2025-26 campaign. Lammikko made 24 appearances with the New Jersey Devils before his contract was mutually terminated this week. He managed only two assists and failed to score with 15 shots on goal. Lammikko has previously also appeared in the NHL with the Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks. He has struggled to adjust to life in North America, posting 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 183 games. With him now 30, it's safe to assume Lammikko won't make another comeback attempt. Things have worked out much better for him in Switzerland, as Lammikko has won two championships with the Lions, scoring 60 goals and 131 points in 176 outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: Swiss Hockey News
February 7, 2026
Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha (upper body) will miss the 2026 Olympics. Zacha was on the Czechia roster for the tournament but won't be able to play after sustaining an upper-body injury in late January. Former Ottawa Senators forward Filip Chlapik, who currently plays for HC Sparta Praha in the Czech Extraliga, will replace him on the team. Zacha missed a pair of games for the Bruins due to his injury, and it's unclear whether he will be healthy to play when the NHL season resumes. Boston will return to action on Feb. 26. Zacha has been a key contributor for the team, posting 15 goals and 37 points in 54 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 6, 2026
Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun recorded a game-high three points in Thursday's 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. He potted two goals, including a power-play marker to ice the game, and had one assist. This made Chychrun only the second defenseman in Capitals history with back-to-back 20-goal campaigns. He has lit the lamp 21 times, adding 25 assists in 57 contests. Chychrun leads all defensemen in goals scored and needs just two more points to set a new career high. Despite his fantastic form, Chychrun won't be part of Team Canada's roster at the Olympics, giving him three weeks to recharge for the most important part of the season.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 6, 2026
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi had to make only 16 saves for his second shutout of the season in Thursday's 2-0 victory over the New York Rangers. Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov took care of the offense for the streaking Hurricanes, who are on a 10-game point streak. Bussi has been pivotal to the team's success, winning each of his last seven starts. He is now only the second goaltender in franchise history with multiple seven-game winning streaks in a single season. The 27-year-old has come out of nowhere to rank second in the NHL with a 2.16 goals-against average. Additionally, Bussi is tied for the third most wins among all goalies, carrying an outstanding 23-3-1 record with a .908 save percentage.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 6, 2026
Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar reached a special milestone on Thursday, collecting his 1,300th career point in a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Slovenian veteran became only the eighth player born outside North America to record 1,300 career points. He did so in his 1,495th career game with an assist. It was Kopitar's first point in four games since returning from a lower-body injury. He currently boasts 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 41 appearances for his final NHL campaign, a sharp decline from his usual production. With Slovenia not at the Olympics, Kopitar will get a few weeks to rest before the final stretch of the season, which could help improve his scoring form.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 6, 2026
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone had a dominant performance in Thursday's 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, posting one goal and two assists. The teams scored all five goals in the first period, and Stone finished with the game-winning marker. The Golden Knights captain became the first player in franchise history to register 100 multi-point games with the team. He's had 17 of them this season alone. The veteran star has been hot all year and will now look to make noise for Canada at the Olympics. Stone has tallied 60 points (21 goals, 39 assists) in 41 outings, averaging the sixth-most points in the league (1.46 per game).
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 6, 2026
Florida Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov (undisclosed) missed the end of Thursday's 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Russian netminder left the penalty-filled game with 6:09 played in the third period, right after the Lightning scored their fifth goal. It was a tough night for Tarasov, who allowed five goals on 25 shots. Sergei Bobrovsky, who started Wednesday's shootout win over Boston, stopped two shots in relief. Tarasov will be re-evaluated on Friday. Florida will return from the Olympic break with a back-to-back set on Feb. 26, and it will be important for the team to have Tarasov available. The 26-year-old holds an 8-8-2 record for the campaign and has allowed 2.83 goals with a .899 save percentage.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 6, 2026
Los Angeles Kings winger Andrei Kuzmenko (upper body) left early in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. The Russian forward suffered an upper-body injury in the first period. He tried to give it a go in the second, but left the action after logging only 8:32 of ice time. 3:55 of Kuzmenko's playing time came on the power play. Due to the Olympic break, Kuzmenko will have several weeks to recover from his injury. The Kings won't return to action until they face Vegas in a rematch on Feb. 25. Kuzmenko has been disappointing with the Kings this season, settling for 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) in 51 appearances.
--Taavi PailkSource: Los Angeles Kings PR
February 6, 2026
Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (lower body) couldn't complete Thursday's 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. He collected a power-play assist in the first period but was limited to 7:03 of ice time due to a lower-body injury. Luckily for Carlson, the league is now on an Olympic break, giving him around three weeks to get healthy. The Capitals continue their season on Feb. 25 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Carlson was snubbed by Team USA for the Olympics despite a strong season. The 17-year-old veteran has recorded 46 points (10 goals, 36 assists), 115 shots, 84 blocks, and a plus-11 rating in 55 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: Washington Capitals PR
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