The Coaches Room is a regular feature throughout the 2025-26 season by former NHL coaches and assistants who turn their critical gaze to the game and explain it through the lens of a teacher. In this edition, Dan Lambert, former assistant with the Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames, discusses how teams will approach returning to regular season play Wednesday after a 19-day break for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
As the NHL season resumes following the Olympic break, each organization will approach the return to play differently, largely depending on its position in the standings.
With a significant number of teams still within reach of a playoff berth, the games leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline at 3 p.m. ET on March 6 will carry substantial weight. For some clubs, there may be only five or six games before critical roster decisions must be made. As a result, quickly reintegrating players who participated in the Olympics, as well as those who were on break, will be essential.
Many teams will effectively conduct a brief "mini training camp" to restore pace and structure. At the same time, coaching staffs must carefully manage players returning from the highly competitive Olympic tournament.
While the physical toll of that event is evident, the mental demands may have been even greater. Olympic competition requires an elevated level of focus and intensity, and some players likely assumed roles that differed significantly from those they fill during the NHL regular season. That adjustment, combined with the emotional investment of international play, can be mentally taxing.
For that reason, it will be critical for coaches to identify opportunities to provide rest. In many cases, mental recovery may be more important than physical recovery. This could mean excusing players from morning skates, limiting practice workloads, or even sitting them out for select games to allow nagging injuries to heal. Many returning Olympians will be dealing with bumps and bruises, even if those issues are not disclosed publicly.
Teams with a cushion in the standings may have greater flexibility to prioritize long-term health over short-term results. Ensuring players are fully healthy for the stretch run and potential playoff competition often is more valuable than rushing them back immediately after the break.
Travel and time-zone adjustments also must be considered, particularly for players returning from Italy to North America. Although adapting back may be somewhat easier than the initial transition overseas, the disruption still can contribute to fatigue -- especially mental fatigue. Managing that adjustment period will be another challenge for coaching and performance staff.
Meanwhile, players who did not participate in the Olympics should be mentally refreshed, which can be a valuable advantage at this stage of the season. In the days leading to the resumption of play, teams likely will emphasize high-tempo practices to ensure those players are game-ready from the outset.
Once competition resumes, the intensity is expected to be high. Teams currently in playoff positions will be motivated to solidify their standing and potentially add pieces ahead of the trade deadline. Clubs on the fringe of qualification will aim to remain in contention, hoping strong performances influence management decisions to retain or strengthen the roster rather than initiate sell-offs.
With so many teams still in the playoff picture and the trade deadline so close, these games will take on a heightened significance. That dynamic makes the post-Olympic stretch one of the most pivotal segments of the NHL season. For some players, the games right after the break are going to be super important.
