There are a few New Jersey Devils players who are really looking forward to the 2026 Milan Olympics. Nico Hischier will help lead Timo Meier, Jonas Siegenthaler, and the rest of Team Switzerland. Jack Hughes is fighting back from his injury to join his brother Quinn Hughes. Jacob Markstrom wants to take the net for Sweden. Others will make their teams, as well.
So many players missed out on playing in the Olympics. Taylor Hall would have represented Team Canada in 2018. A young Nico Hischier would have been showcased on an international stage that year, as well. Jack Hughes missed out on his Olympic debut in 2022.
Now, NHL players are excited to get back to the international stage, at least the biggest international stage. They are returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. We’ve seen amateur and semi-pro players representing Canada and the USA, while teams like Russia and Sweden are getting their professional players from outside the NHL on the team.
It seems like the dream of “best-on-best” is back on the docket, especially after the success of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
However, now there’s an issue. It seems that the arena they are using for hockey isn’t ready yet. They’ve already had to shrink the ice sheet, which is already smaller than NHL ice by a few feet. The IIHF apparently agreed to the changes, but that doesn’t mean the NHL is on board.
There have been increasing questions as to whether the NHL players will return to the Olympics, after all. It’s incredibly late in the process, but it sounds like it’s at least a conversation.
Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin spoke to NHLPA commissioner Bill Daly, and he was pretty blunt about the situation in Italy. If the league doesn’t like what they see in Milan, then the players aren’t going.
I'm asked often, "What is actual % chance NHLers don't go to Olympics?" So I asked NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly.
— Matt Larkin (@MLarkinHockey) December 3, 2025
"Depends on % you want to place on the possibility the rink doesn’t get completed. If there’s no rink completed, there’s no NHL players going to the Olympics."
It’s really late in the process, and the players gave up concessions in the collective bargaining agreement to go to the Olympics next year. This is important to them. We don’t see any way the NHL backs out of it at this point.
Where the situation falls apart is the next Olympics. This experience has put a bad taste in its mouth about international hockey in general. The NHL loved the 4 Nations, and they plan to do more tournaments like that. Why would they allow their players to do something another organization profits off of that they don’t think is safe and is actually causing them stress?
They are locked in for 2026, even if they say otherwise. The players would have a revolt if the Olympic rug was pulled from them at the last moment. But 2030? That’s forever away. The NHL could get out of that one unscathed if this one goes poorly.
So, enjoy Jack Hughes wearing the red, white, and blue (if he makes the team). Accept Nico Hischier as the Swiss captain. Jump for joy when Markstrom makes a big save. Because it might be the last chance you get to see the Devils in the Olympics.