We finally saw the return of best-on-best hockey at the Olympics for the first time in 12 years and it didn’t disappoint. It was an incredible gold-medal game between Canada and the U.S. that added another chapter to their storied rivalry, one that now seems set to only grow over the next decade.
As good a showcase as it was for the sport, not everyone escaped unscathed. There were a handful of injuries to significant players that will now have a ripple effect throughout the rest of the NHL season. Some key players are set to miss substantial time, which is going to have a major impact on playoff races and could even alter the plans of a few teams leading up to the trade deadline.
Let’s look at four injuries that could shape how the standings play out the rest of the way.
If the Penguins plan to complete an improbable run to the post-season, they’re going to have to do most of the work without their captain.
The news that Sidney Crosby is expected to miss the next month after suffering an injury at the Olympics is a devastating blow to their hopes. Crosby was on pace for 86 points before going down and is still the Penguins’ most important player by a mile. Evgeni Malkin continues to play at a high level, but is he still capable of putting this team on his back for a critical month with a congested schedule at age 39?
Pittsburgh is holding down second place in the Metro, just one point up on the New York Islanders, five up on the Washington Capitals and seven ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets. There is some cushion for the Pens there, but those leads could erode quickly without Crosby. If Pittsburgh slips in the division, it could still grab a wild-card spot, though that’s easier said than done. The Buffalo Sabres are tied with the Penguins and the Boston Bruins are one point behind, so earning a top-three divisional spot might actually be easier for Pittsburgh than going the wild card route.
If you’re a Penguins fan looking at the glass half full, general manager Kyle Dubas has made some savvy acquisitions and has stockpiled a ton of draft picks. So Pittsburgh is in a good position moving forward. They have 16 combined picks over the second and third rounds of the next four drafts, meaning they could theoretically spare one or two and add leading up to the deadline without doing much damage to their rebuild.
If all goes well, Crosby could potentially return for Pittsburgh’s final nine or 10 games of the season. Can the Pens survive in the race until that reinforcement arrives? You know Crosby is hungry for at least one more playoff run in Pittsburgh, and it’s going to take a serious effort over the next month to keep his chances alive.
Mikko Rantanen doesn’t project to miss as much time as Crosby, but he is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks with an injury he suffered while playing for Finland in Milan. The good news for the Dallas Stars is that they aren’t in as precarious a position as the Penguins when it comes to the playoffs. They have a spot all but secured and are just jockeying for positioning in the Central.
Dallas is likely going to have to go through Colorado and Minnesota — arguably the two best teams in the NHL — in the first two rounds if it hopes to make a deep run. The Stars need to put themselves in the best position possible if they hope to get through that gauntlet. Currently, they sit third in the Central, one point behind the Wild and six behind the Avalanche. Any hope of catching Colorado could be fading now that Rantanen is set to miss a bunch of games, but finishing ahead of Minnesota could be key.
If the Stars play the Wild in the opening round, it’s likely going to be an incredibly tight series where something like home-ice advantage could end up being the difference. There’s also the possibility Minnesota could end up catching Colorado and jumping them for the division title, which would mean an even tougher matchup for the Stars if they meet the Avalanche in Round 1.
Both the Wild and Avalanche seemed poised to try and make a major addition prior to the deadline, with a centre upgrade as their rumoured target. That could also give them an edge down the stretch with Rantanen out and may force the Stars to follow suit. Unfortunately, Dallas doesn’t have its 2026 first-round pick or much cap space to absorb a talented player, so swinging a deal will be complicated. The Stars ultimately may not be able to make a huge splash and instead might have to cross their fingers that Rantanen returns sooner rather than later.
If there was one sour note from the Olympic tournament, it was that Kevin Fiala was lost for the season after a brutal injury while playing for Switzerland. Now the Los Angeles Kings have a hole in their top six after bolstering it before the break with the acquisition of Artemi Panarin.
The Kings are three points out of a playoff spot and five points behind the Anaheim Ducks for third in the Pacific, so they’re very much in the mix. Even with the addition of Panarin, Fiala is still a big loss for their lineup, as he scored 35 goals last year and was on pace for around 30 again this year. Replacing that scoring isn’t going to be easy, but you can bet the Kings are going to try with this being Anze Kopitar’s last season. They’ll surely want to try and give him a final playoff run on the way out.
Los Angeles was probably hoping to bolster its centre depth after dealing Phillip Danault, though now it may be in the market for a winger as well without Fiala. The Kings might not be able to make a major move, but could they look at someone like Bobby McMann or Blake Coleman to help replace the loss of Fiala?
Both players can score and play with physicality, something that would help the Kings if they hope to finally get past the first round and the Edmonton Oilers. The Kings have the advantage of owning all their first-round picks, and it may end up costing them one if they truly want to upgrade their top six.
It doesn’t appear that Josh Morrissey will be out that long after getting banged up at the Olympics, but every game is precious to the Winnipeg Jets at this point. The Jets are nine points out of a playoff spot with three teams to leapfrog, and last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners are going to have to go on an incredible run if they hope to make up ground.
Making things even more challenging for the Jets is that Neal Pionk is now out week-to-week with an injury of his own, thinning out the blue line that much more. It’s a possibility that Morrissey could return as soon as next week after the Jets return home from their three-game road trip, though at this point, Winnipeg can’t afford to just survive without him in the lineup. They need to get on a winning streak immediately.
Morrissey is really the Jets’ only true puck mover on their defence corps, and the team is very top-heavy up front, so his loss is massive from an offensive perspective. Six-foot-seven Logan Stanley will quarterback the power play in Morrissey’s absence, and he had never recorded more than 14 points in a season coming into this year. To say the offence is likely to sputter without Morrissey is a major understatement.
Even if Morrissey misses more than a handful of games, I wouldn’t expect the Jets to try and acquire a stopgap via trade. Winnipeg is too far back in the playoff chase to be spending assets for a short-term fix. Unless there’s someone who is young and has some term, it seems unlikely the Jets would add to try and spark a miracle post-season push. The most likely path forward for the Jets is they now start selling some pending UFAs to recoup some assets and regroup for 2026-27.
USC has announced its replacement of Notre Dame on the schedule, playing San Jose State in 2026. 
