NHL Hockey 3d Briefing
×Player Updates
Blues' Thomas espn.com will take a temporary leave of absence for personal reasons. Penguins' Crosby espn.com was placed on injured reserve and will miss at least four weeks. Stars' Rantanen espn.com is out for weeks after sustaining a lower-body injury in the Olympics. Panthers' Barkov espn.com has a target date for his season debut after September knee surgery.
Olympic Impact
The United States' gold medal hockey win over Canada drew an average audience of 26 million viewers on NBC and Peacock in the U.S. Hellebuyck espn.com will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom after helping the U.S. men's team win gold. The Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. men's hockey team visited President Donald Trump at the White House and received a bipartisan standing ovation during the State of the Union address.
Trade Activity
The Penguins traded defenseman Brett Kulak to the Avalanche for Samuel Girard and a 2028 pick. Kulak had been traded to Pittsburgh in December before this latest move. The Kraken agreed to terms on two-year contract extensions with forwards Ben Meyers and Ryan Winterton.
Post-Olympic Analysis
With the medals awarded, the sprint is on to the end of the regular season. Analysts are examining Olympic standouts and disappointments from all 32 NHL teams. Fantasy hockey experts are recommending post-Olympics pickups, including Dostal and Laferriere, for the week ahead.
Off-Ice Developments
The Hughes brothers addressed the controversy over President Donald Trump's comment about the women's hockey team. The discussion highlights the ongoing intersection of hockey and political discourse following the Olympic tournament.