The return of NHL players to the Olympic Games delivered the international best-on-best games that fans have sorely missed since Sochi in 2014, as well as record TV ratings. But they also dealt injuries that have kept players off the ice since league play resumed last week.
In the wake of the Milan competition, NHL players across multiple national teams have landed on the injured reserve—in some cases, long term. Fear of major injuries was one of the several reasons these pros were kept out of the past two Winter Games.
Significant injuries have happened not only in previous Olympics, but also after last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off in February, which sent two crucial players to the long-term injured reserve. Players on the NHL LTIR must miss at least 10 games and 24 calendar days; Charlie McAvoy sat the remainder of the Bruins’ regular season, and Matthew Tkachuk rejoined the Panthers only for the playoffs.
Some of the worst-case scenarios have come to pass. Kevin Fiala, an important piece for Kings, sustained a season-ending leg injury, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who plays in the Canucks system, suffered a shoulder injury that also ended his campaign.
Several other players remain out with their return statuses up in the air. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby missed Team Canada’s final two games in Milan, including the gold-medal contest against the U.S., with a lower-body injury. Pittsburgh has placed him on the injured reserve, and he’ll miss a minimum of four weeks. Key players also on the IR are Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey and Dallas’s Mikko Rantanen; others, including Anaheim’s Mikael Grandlund, are day-to-day.
“I root for all the NHL players to do well and not get hurt, and we had a couple of injuries in Milan,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said last week. “And so how good or bad it was for the season, putting aside the exposure, we’re going to find out over the next six weeks.”
The PWHL has the same problem, although there was never any doubt that the biggest women’s stars would play in Italy. Team USA captain Hilary Knight was placed on the Seattle Torrent LTIR and is out indefinitely. Kendall Coyne-Schofield, the Minnesota Frost captain, and Team Canada’s Erin Ambrose of the Montreal Victoire, are also both listed on the LTIR, which requires missing a minimum of three weeks. They could make their returns this month, though precise dates aren’t yet nailed down. Several other players’ league returns were delayed due to injury, including Marie-Philipe Poulin, who is both the captain of the Victoire and Team Canada.
“We understand the injury risk associated with world-class competition and the significant impact our Olympians have on their PWHL teams. The Olympics scheduled at the midway mark of our season, compared to previous World Championships that occurred closer to the end of our season, provides a larger timeline for recovery before playoffs,” PWHL EVP of hockey operations Jayna Hefford told Front Office Sports.
These injuries come at a pivotal time for both leagues as they head into the home stretch of their regular seasons; many teams with sidelined players are jockeying for playoff spots. Some teams will have to make quick decisions on how they’ll manage additional cap space.
Still, the players are eager to continue international best-on-best tournaments, and there’s no sign yet that the league will stand in their way. The men’s competition will continue with the reintroduction of the World Cup of Hockey in 2028, setting up a new biennial calendar of international events. And for the PWHL, Hefford says: “Ultimately, supporting Olympic participation is aligned with our long-term vision for the sport, even as we manage the short-term realities that come with elite competition.”
