5 Bold NHL Predictions After the 2026 Winter Olympics

We just witnessed two of the best gold-medal games in the history of Olympic hockey, as Team USA defeated Canada in the men's and women's tournaments.

We'll be thinking about both of these games—and their overtimes—for years to come, so it's a bit of a shock to the system that the NHL is now resuming.

The show must go on, and what a show it will be with so many bubble teams kicking off their final playoff pushes.

Will the Buffalo Sabres, who are currently in a playoff position, finally make their long-awaited return to the postseason? Will Canadian stars use their devastating loss as fuel? And the trade deadline is a few weeks away: Who's left on the board?

Let's kick off the last leg of the NHL regular season with a few bold predictions for the final stretch.

Vincent Trocheck Gets Traded to the Wild

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Rangers center Trocheck is going to be the most coveted name left on the trade board now that Quinn Hughes, Rasmus Andersson, and Artemi Panarin have been dealt.

Team USA and Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin faced criticism for choosing Trocheck over high-end goal scorers Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield, but he opted for Trocheck's big-game intensity and grit.

The 32-year-old ended with three assists and a 66.6 percent success rate from the faceoff dot through six games. Many of those faceoffs were won at crucial times, and his style of play helped keep Canada's offense contained.

Trocheck's Olympic performance showed the playoff confidence and center depth teams love to acquire at the deadline, and the Wild could use more forward depth after trading Marco Rossi in the Hughes deal.

Minnesota has climbed past Dallas for the No. 2 spot out West, but things couldn't be tighter in the Central. Stocking up to avoid an early exit should help any of the Central's big three make a deeper run.

Guerin put Trocheck on the USA roster in the first place, had a front-row seat to his solid Olympic run, and needs a center for his NHL team. It's no surprise the Wild are a front-runner for Trocheck, and why wouldn't he want to join one of the hottest teams in the league?

Nathan MacKinnon Takes Olympic Frustration Out on Rest of NHL

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Oh, you thought the Colorado Avalanche were an absolute juggernaut before? Well, star center MacKinnon, the most competitive player in the league, has returned and will be determined to put his Olympic disappointment behind him.

The 30-year-old had a rough gold-medal game for Canada, with several whiffs and wide-open opportunities that could have changed the outcome for his team. He seemed devastated in the postgame interviews.

The Avalanche head into the final stretch of the season leading the league with 83 standings points, five more than the Lightning and Wild at 78 apiece.

They had dominated all season, but hit a bit of a snag headed into the Olympic break. However, the Team Canada loss will likely inspire two of the best players in the world—MacKinnon and Cale Makar—to pick it back up.

Maple Leafs Miss the Playoffs

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Take a glance at the NHL standings, and it doesn't seem like that big of a stretch to think the Maple Leafs will miss the playoffs this season. They're six points and four teams out of a wild-card spot in the raucous East, after all.

Still, even if they have suffered persistent heartbreaking postseason runs, it's weird to imagine one without their high-power offense and high hopes.

Did losing Mitch Marner really make the team fall apart so quickly? Losing the 100-plus-point, power-play cornerstone is the biggest reason for Toronto's struggles this season. But key injuries, underperformances on the power play as a whole and on defense, and Joseph Woll's leave of absence also played a role in the team's poor campaign.

Things have at least been looking up since Auston Matthews found his scoring touch again, and his stellar performance as captain of Team USA might help him ride that momentum. Woll's been great in net since returning, too.

It just might be too little too late for Toronto this year if it doesn't come up with an offensive miracle at the trade deadline. The East is just too competitive and fickle right now.

Sabres Finally End Playoff Drought

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Tage Thompson

Just like we can't quite fathom the Leafs not making the playoffs, we equally can't quite understand the Sabres finally making the playoffs after a league-record 14-year drought.

It's not just about the drought with these Sabres. It's about the will-they-won't-they roller coaster they've taken fans on the past few seasons, with convincing highs followed by devastating lows.

Alas, the lows have been less brutal this year, and the highs have been sturdier. Right now, Buffalo owns the No. 1 wild-card spot in the East. Where in the past a playoff position was always just out of reach, they've played themselves into one early this year.

The Sabres are playing with more swagger and confidence, and Tage Thompson is coming back as an Olympic gold medalist for Team USA after being snubbed for the 4 Nations roster.

The depth is there, with Thompson, Alex Tuch, and the rest of the leadership group stepping up, and Josh Doan highlights a youth movement making it work. There's no reason why Buffalo can't make the playoffs this year.

Elias Pettersson Gets Dealt, Canucks Rebuild Begins

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At the beginning of this season, the only thing more incomprehensible for the Canucks than trading Pettersson would have been trading Quinn Hughes.

Fast-forward four months, and Hughes is gone, and the Canucks sit dead-last in the league.

All things considered, Vancouver made out great in the Hughes deal with a package of Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick.

The trade market this season is going to be heavy on the buyers and light on the sellers, with so many teams on the playoff bubble refusing to deal. There are also fewer high-end centers than usual to swing for.

With the success of the Hughes deal, you'd think the Canucks are now initiating a true rebuild, which could involve trading Pettersson for the right return.

Are they willing to eat some of his hefty contract, carrying an $11.6 million AAV? Keep in mind, he's got a rare, full no-movement clause, so he'd have to approve the deal and the destination. But he could use a change of scenery, and the Canucks could benefit from taking advantage of this market.