The NHL is officially on hiatus from the 2026 Winter Olympics. That gives teams a chance to reset before returning to action in late February, making this a perfect time to look at some of the biggest storylines heading into the long haul.
Will the Maple Leafs sell?
First will be the Toronto Maple Leafs are being sold? As it stands, they are six points clear of the second wildcard spot and will only have six games left to play after the break before the trade deadline. That doesn’t give them much time to figure things out, which is why many believe their direction will depend heavily on how they look in the first few games back.
They return in late February with a back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. If they play well, it will probably buy them some time. But if they lose both games and miss out by four points, falling further behind in the standings, it could push them firmly towards selling.
Does Panarin’s trade shake the market?
Then the Artemi does Panarin trade to the Los Angeles Kings shake the market? In other words, will we see more movement around the NHL once the roster freeze is lifted, now that Panarin is off the board? It certainly feels like that could be the case. There are a lot of names floating around in the rumor mill, and when a big name player becomes available, the market generally tends to stagnate. Once that player is finally moved, things usually open up pretty quickly.
At this year’s trade deadline, several teams appear ready to sell aggressively. The Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and New York Rangers have all made it clear that multiple players could be available. With Panarin no longer holding the market, there is a good chance that more trades will fall into place soon after the freeze is over.
Can the Red Wings and Sabers end their droughts?
This season feels different for both the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres. As we head into the break, both teams are in strong positions in the standings and the expectation is that they will still be there when play resumes. For the Red Wings, there is even a path to the top spot in the Atlantic Division, which could make them buyers at the deadline. As for the Sabres, while there’s always a chance they go down, they’ve been one of the better teams in the league in recent months, so that doesn’t feel likely.
It’s been a long time coming for both fans. But if things hold up, we could be looking at playoff hockey in both Detroit and Buffalo for the close for the first timeor even more than a decade.
Next: Is Panarin worth more than Draisaitl? The Kraken apparently thought so…
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