When does the Olympic trade freeze end after Team USA wins gold?

The 2026 Winter Olympics are over, like Team USA beat Canada for gold in the men’s hockey tournament. As the players return from Milan, preparing for the rest of the NHL season, front offices are still working.

The NHL implemented a trade freeze that began at 3:00 PM ET on February 4th and will end tonight at 11:59 PM ET. With NHL trade deadline fast approaching, coming March 6th at 3pm ET, front offices were still open during the break, according to Ryan S. ESPN’s Clark.

“There’s nothing stopping people from talking,” Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said. “You just can’t make a deal, of course. You’re not going to call a guy when he’s at the Olympics or in Mexico City or Miami or wherever he is and tell him he’s been traded.”

The teams will resume play on Wednesday, but most teams have just a half-dozen games before the NHL trade deadline to decide the future of their franchise.

“We’re in a different place now where we could become sellers or become buyers. Other teams have the same process right now,” Waddell added.

Meanwhile, some NHL teams are returning to the ice, knowing they have injured players. He was the biggest the season-ending injury to Kevin Fiala of the Los Angeles Kings. However, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen and Stars center Radek Faksa all dealt with injuries at the Olympics.

“The way I look at it is we’re very fortunate to have nine Olympians,” Minnesota GM Will Guerin said. “It means we have good players and a good team, and they have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we all embrace. Of course, there’s always risk. You can’t do something like this without risk, but it’s worth it. If something happens? We’ll figure it out.”

Meanwhile, with many teams having 25 games left, there is also a large group of teams in contention. In the Eastern Conference, the six teams currently out of the playoffs are within eight points of a spot. In the Western Conference, three outside teams are within five points of a place.

“There are a lot of teams with uncertainty,” Stars GM Jim Nill said. “There are a lot of teams in the playoff mix, and I can’t stress enough how important it is for teams and organizations to get into the playoffs. Those teams are going to have to make decisions. Are they buyers? Are they sellers? That’s a lot of uncertainty. But we’ve done our homework and we’re ready.”

The The NHL returns to action on Wednesday with eight games, and 16 teams take to the ice. The rest of the league will be on ice until the weekend.