NHL Hockey 3d Briefing
×Olympic Achievements & Honors
Connor Hellebuyck espn.com will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his role in the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team's gold medal victory. The team visited the White House espn.com on Tuesday and received a bipartisan standing ovation during the State of the Union address. Jack Hughes' overtime goal sealed the victory espn.com against Canada, with the Hughes brothers later addressing controversy regarding President Trump's comments about the women's team.
Team Transactions & Injuries
The Kraken agreed to extensions espn.com with forwards Ben Meyers and Ryan Winterton on Tuesday. For the Panthers, captain Aleksander Barkov targets a season debut espn.com after knee surgery. On the injury front, Mikko Rantanen will be out for an extended period for the Stars after sustaining a lower-body injury during the Olympics. In a notable trade, defenseman Brett Kulak was sent to the Avalanche espn.com in exchange for Samuel Girard and a 2028 draft pick.
League Analysis
With the Olympics concluded, teams are sprinting toward espn.com the end of the regular season as the playoff picture takes shape. Sidney Crosby's decision to sit during Canada's gold medal game raised questions espn.com about team strategy. Fantasy hockey managers should consider adding goalkeepers such as Dostal and Laferriere espn.com as post-Olympics must-adds. The Olympics provided mixed results espn.com for NHL teams, with some players returning home as heroes while others faced disappointment.