Super 16: Teams that will benefit most from break for Olympics

In seven games, the NHL finally will reach the long-anticipated and highly discussed break for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

There are seven games Thursday, the final day of play before the League goes on hiatus for the Olympics until resuming with an eight-game slate Feb. 25.

That means 18 teams already have started their break, with 14 more going into a winter hibernation after playing Thursday.

The break was inevitable, a hard and fast pause to the season for the Olympics, but the benefits that can come from it, tangible and otherwise, are fluid. In many respects, it's what the teams, coaches and players make of it.

To that end, we dove into potential benefits, and a few pitfalls, in the Super 16. What are they and who do they impact among the 16 teams ranked in this last pre-Olympics power rankings, which includes the Columbus Blue Jackets for the first time this season.

As always, to come up with the Super 16, the 15 voters put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like and a point total was assigned to each, with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on.

Here is the Olympic break edition of the Super 16:

1. Colorado Avalanche (37-9-9)

Total points: 230

Last week: No. 1

"It seems silly to say the team with the best record in the NHL needs a break, but that might be the case for the Avalanche. Since Jan. 4, the Avalanche are 6-7-2, with a .467 points percentage that's the seventh lowest in the NHL during that span. Maybe it's just a bit of leveling off after their incredible start, they are tiring out a bit or it's something else, but whatever it is, the break comes at a great time for the Avalanche." -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (36-14-4)

Total points: 229

Last week: No. 2

"Do the Lightning need the Olympic break? Yes. Do they want to see it come? Heck no. Tampa Bay is on the roll of rolls right now. The Lightning are 13-1-1 since Jan. 1, the best record in the League during that span, and still are riding high from a four-goal comeback in the dramatic 6-5 shootout win against the Boston Bruins in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series Game on Sunday. But this team is dragging. Anthony Cirelli is injured and will miss the Olympics. Brayden Point is working his way back from injury, and Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh just returned from long-term injuries. The break will be physically beneficial for the Lightning players not going to the Olympics, but mentally this team wants to stay in this moment." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

3. Carolina Hurricanes (35-15-6)

Total points: 208

Last week: No. 3

"The break is going to be a good time for goalie Brandon Bussi to get some rest for the stretch run. There's no reason to think the Hurricanes won't ride the 27-year-old goalie coming out of the break after he established a record for the most wins by a goalie through their first 26 career NHL games and, in the process, brought stability to an area that has been suspect during past Stanley Cup Playoff appearances." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

4. Minnesota Wild (34-14-10)

Total points: 193

Last week: No. 5

"The break is a blessing and a mild curse for the Wild. On one hand, Minnesota will send seven players to Italy, nearly a third of the roster, which is a point of pride and a physical gamble. Matt Boldy (United States), Brock Faber (U.S.), Quinn Hughes (U.S.), Joel Eriksson Ek (Sweden), Filip Gustavsson (Sweden), Jesper Wallstedt (Sweden), and Nico Sturm (Germany) all will be skating on the sport's biggest stage, while Jonas Brodin (Sweden) was kept home because of injury. That kind of representation speaks to how strong and balanced this roster has become. On the other hand, the timing is brutal. The Wild have a rhythm going, something no team wants interrupted. There is no easing back in when the season restarts. Two trips to Colorado in 11 days, road games in Utah and Vegas, and home dates against St. Louis and Tampa Bay make for a punishing restart. The good news is that Minnesota has built enough cushion that this stretch is more about sharpening habits than survival, making the break a calculated pause rather than a threat." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

5. Dallas Stars (34-14-9)

Total points: 186

Last week: No. 4

"Well, roughly half the Stars will get a break, anyway. Seven Dallas players are headed to the Olympics. Does that hurt them coming out of the break? Not necessarily. The way I see it (and the way I'm guessing the Olympic-bound players see it), playing for your country is the greatest privilege you can get. I don't think this will be tiring for the Stars' Olympians as much as it will be energizing to get that opportunity. But if there is any Olympic fatigue, the good thing about the Stars is how balanced they are, and those who didn't go can make up the difference. As the Stars once again try to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2020, they should be able to come out of the break strong." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

6. Detroit Red Wings (33-19-6)

Total points: 156

Last week: No. 6

"Three of Detroit's most important players are going to Milan: defenseman Moritz Seider (Germany), and forwards Dylan Larkin (United States) and Lucas Raymond (Sweden). The Red Wings hope they will come home healthy and playing at a high level after their Olympic experience. The rest of the roster can recharge for the stretch run, including defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who should return after the break from a lower-body injury that's kept him out since Jan. 21. The Red Wings are trying to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in a decade. Each of the past two seasons they struggled down the stretch. The Red Wings hope the Olympic break will set them up for success this time." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

7. Buffalo Sabres (32-18-6)

Total points: 153

Last week: No. 7

"In retrospect, the Sabres probably don't want to see the arrival of the Olympic break given that it might sap some of the momentum of one of the hottest teams in the NHL. To that point, Buffalo is 21-4-2 in its past 27 games and has put itself in a position to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011. The one positive for the Sabres that the layoff brings is that it will provide healing time for No. 1 goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who sustained a lower-body injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 27 and hasn't been on the ice since. While coach Lindy Ruff recently said Luukkonen has been "progressing," the ailment means he won't be able to represent Finland at the Olympics after he was announced as being on the roster last month." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

8. Montreal Canadiens (32-17-8)

Total points: 125

Last week: No. 9

"Nick Suzuki (Canada), Juraj Slafkovsky (Slovakia), Oliver Kapanen (Finland) and Alexandre Texier (France) will be playing at the Olympics. But two key players from the Canadiens were not picked for Team USA, forward Cole Caufield and defenseman Lane Hutson. They will benefit from the rest. Last year, the Canadiens were one of the best teams in the NHL after the 4 Nations Face-Off because of the rest for their star players." -- Jean-Francois Chaumont, journalist principal LNH.com

9. Pittsburgh Penguins (28-15-12)

Total points: 110

Last week: No. 10

"This break is well-timed for the Penguins because it will give Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin time to get healthy. Letang is expected to miss four weeks with a fractured foot sustained Jan. 29, so the Penguins being off for nearly three weeks means the 38-year-old defenseman won't miss as many games. Although Malkin has been playing, he appears to still be bothered by an upper-body injury that caused him to miss 15 games earlier this season. So the 39-year-old center should benefit from the rest as well. It would have been helpful for center Sidney Crosby (Canada) and defenseman Erik Karlsson (Sweden) to have some time off because they've carried a big load for Pittsburgh this season, but they'll be busy battling for gold at the Olympics." --Tom Gulitti, senior writer

10. Boston Bruins (32-20-5)

Total points: 105

Last week: No. 11

"The break won't be much of a break for the Bruins, with eight of their players headed to Italy. That number jumped recently, with defenseman Hampus Lindholm being added to Team Sweden's roster and goalie Joonas Korpisalo being added to Team Finland's. They also have Elias Lindholm (Sweden), Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman (United States), David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha (Czechia) and Henri Jokiharju (Finland). But while none of those players are getting a rest -- and while some might be relied on for big minutes, McAvoy and Pastrnak in particular -- the Olympics also might keep those Bruins in a rhythm after what has been a very good month of January for the team. It will be interesting to see how coach Marco Sturm manages his roster out of the break, especially given the fact that both goalies are going, something that is happening only with the Bruins and Wild (Filip Gustavsson, Jesper Wallstedt). -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

11. New York Islanders (31-21-5)

Total points: 85

Last week: No. 13

"Seeing Matthew Schaefer play for Canada at the Olympics would have been a thrill for both he and the Islanders, but the break should benefit the 18-year-old defenseman greatly. Schaefer, who leads New York in time on ice per game (24:05) by more than three minutes, can use the break to rest up and get ready for the final 25 regular-season games. Schaefer continues to dazzle with his skill and maturity that go well beyond his years." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

12. Vegas Golden Knights (26-16-14)

Total points: 76

Last week: No. 8

"The break should benefit two players in particular for the Golden Knights, goalies Adin Hill and Carter Hart. Goal prevention has been a bit of a weakness for Vegas, in part because of the injury issues in goal it has had. Hill has played six games since returning from nearly three months out because of a lower-body injury sustained Oct. 20, and Hart has been sidelined since Jan. 8 because of a lower-body injury. That's left Akira Schmid to get the bulk of the work this season, and it's likely he'll be Switzerland's starter at the Olympics. Getting two other goalies healthy and rested for the playoff push will be key to the Golden Knights having success once they reach the postseason." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

13. Columbus Blue Jackets (29-20-7)

Total points: 48

Last week: Not ranked

"The break is coming at a bad time for the Blue Jackets, who have been one of the best teams in the NHL since Rick Bowness took over as coach for Dean Evason on Jan. 12. The last thing the Blue Jackets want to do is take 22 days off when they're finally in a groove that took a long time to find this season. But there's a silver lining too; the Blue Jackets have barely had any practice time since Bowness took over, having played 11 games in 24 days since the coaching change. But teams return (with players who aren't at the Olympics) on Feb. 17, and the Blue Jackets don't play their first game until Feb. 26. That's a lot of time to get some work in before restarting. It also gives a chance for their two Olympians, defenseman Zach Werenski (United States) and goalie Elvis Merzlikins (Latvia), to get some rest and still some practice time before the schedule resumes. That's particularly important for Werenski, who figures to play big minutes for a U.S. team that has gold-medal aspirations." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

14. Edmonton Oilers (28-22-8)

Total points: 47

Last week: No. 12

"The Olympics are coming at a good time for the Oilers. With forwards Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and recently recalled forward Josh Samanski as the only players participating in the tournament, the rest of the team will have time to relax and regroup as the Oilers head into the stretch drive of the regular season. McDavid is playing for Team Canada, which is expected to go far in the tournament and contend for a gold medal. The Oilers captain likely will be away for the duration of the break. Draisaitl and Samanski will be playing for Team Germany, which will need to pull off an upset or two to get into the medal round. Getting the two German forwards back early will be beneficial to the Oilers, as will having Samanski, 23, play in such a high-level tournament. He should be a better player for it on his return to Edmonton and there is a good chance he could remain with the Oilers for the remainder of the season." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

15. Utah Mammoth (30-23-4)

Total points: 35

Last week: No. 14

"The Mammoth have four players heading to the Olympics -- forwards Clayton Keller (United States) and JJ Peterka (Germany), defenseman Olli Maatta (Finland) and goalie Karel Vejmelka (Czechia). It could be a concern for Vejmelka, who already has had a huge workload this season. If he is the starter for Czechia, he won't have much time off during the next three weeks, which isn't great with Utah in the playoff mix and coming out of the break with games against the Avalanche and Wild." -- David Satriano, staff writer

16. Anaheim Ducks (30-23-3)

Total points: 29

Last week: No. 16

"The Ducks have found their game again, winning nine of 11 games (9-2-0) going into the break. They played their last game Tuesday, a 4-2 win against the Seattle Kraken. They have four players going to the Olympics, goalie Lukas Dostal (Czechia), forward Mikael Granlund (Finland), and defensemen Jackson LaCombe (United States) and Radko Gudas (Czechia). Most importantly, though, center Leo Carlsson is not going. He won't play for Team Sweden after having surgery on his left thigh Jan. 16. He was given a recovery time of 3-5 weeks. So, while you feel for Carlsson because he can't go to the Olympics, the Ducks should expect him healthy when the season restarts. He last played Jan. 10, so it's likely he'll only be out the 11 games he's already missed instead of what could have been double that amount without the Olympic break." -- Rosen

Dropped out from last week: Florida Panthers (No. 15)

Others receiving points: Seattle Kraken 8, Toronto Maple Leafs 6, Washington Capitals 2, Los Angeles Kings 2, Nashville Predators 1

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Vegas Golden Knights; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. Pittsburgh Penguins; 12. New York Islanders; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Utah Mammoth; 15. Seattle Kraken; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets

JEAN-FRANCOIS CHAUMONT

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Montreal Canadiens; 8. Buffalo Sabres; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. New York Islanders; 14. Utah Mammoth; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Columbus Blue Jackets

BRIAN COMPTON

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Montreal Canadiens; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Anaheim Ducks; 14. Vegas Golden Knights; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Edmonton Oilers

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Los Angeles Kings

TOM GULITTI

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Columbus Blue Jackets; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Seattle Kraken

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Vegas Golden Knights; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Buffalo Sabres; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. Montreal Canadiens; 12. Anaheim Ducks; 13. New York Islanders; 14. Utah Mammoth; 15. Columbus Blue Jackets; 16. Boston Bruins

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Buffalo Sabres; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. Boston Bruins; 9. New York Islanders; 10. Pittsburgh Penguins; 11. Montreal Canadiens; 12. Utah Mammoth; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Columbus Blue Jackets; 15. Washington Capitals; 16. Anaheim Ducks

TRACEY MYERS

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Utah Mammoth

BILL PRICE

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Columbus Blue Jackets; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Edmonton Oilers; 16. Los Angeles Kings

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Minnesota Wild; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Buffalo Sabres; 6. Boston Bruins; 7. Pittsburgh Penguins; 8. Detroit Red Wings; 9. Dallas Stars; 10. Montreal Canadiens; 11. Toronto Maple Leafs; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Seattle Kraken

DAN ROSEN

1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Minnesota Wild; 6. Buffalo Sabres; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Montreal Canadiens; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Columbus Blue Jackets; 15. Anaheim Ducks; 16. Nashville Predators

DAVID SATRIANO

1. Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. Colorado Avalanche; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Buffalo Sabres; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Boston Bruins; 10. Montreal Canadiens; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Utah Mammoth; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Vegas Golden Knights; 16. Edmonton Oilers

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Dallas Stars; 6. Buffalo Sabres; 7. Detroit Red Wings; 8. Pittsburgh Penguins; 9. Montreal Canadiens; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Columbus Blue Jackets; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Edmonton Oilers; 15. Seattle Kraken; 16. Anaheim Ducks

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Minnesota Wild; 3. Tampa Bay Lightning; 4. Dallas Stars; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Detroit Red Wings; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Montreal Canadiens; 9. Pittsburgh Penguins; 10. Boston Bruins; 11. New York Islanders; 12. Vegas Golden Knights; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Columbus Blue Jackets; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Seattle Kraken

MIKE ZEISBERGER

1. Colorado Avalanche; 2. Tampa Bay Lightning; 3. Dallas Stars; 4. Minnesota Wild; 5. Carolina Hurricanes; 6. Montreal Canadiens; 7. Buffalo Sabres; 8. Detroit Red Wings; 9. Vegas Golden Knights; 10. New York Islanders; 11. Boston Bruins; 12. Pittsburgh Penguins; 13. Edmonton Oilers; 14. Anaheim Ducks; 15. Utah Mammoth; 16. Seattle Kraken