Which team could view the Olympic roster freeze as a trade deadline?

With less than a day before the NHL’s roster freeze for the 2026 Winter Olympics, many are curious to see what teams might make moves at what some are calling a “mini trade deadline.”

While the official trade deadline isn’t until March 6, teams might look at the possibility of making a move prior to the start of the Winter Games. Then, a new acquisition could have some time to get acquainted with his new team and his new surroundings before the league returns to play later this month.

This comes as rumors are swirling about the future of New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin. The team has made it clear that it’s looking to shop the Russian sniper, though Panarin holds the cards with a full no-move clause in his contract.

With so many teams either in the hunt for a playoff spot or looking to hang on to one as we head toward the pause, a couple of teams might pursue an asset to bolster their roster before breaking for a few weeks.

The roster freeze begins on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. ET.

On Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Jeff Marek of The Sheet joined Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton to discuss what teams might be making moves before the freeze begins.

Jeff Marek:  I would wonder about the Detroit Red Wings because they have a lot of cap space that they can use here, where some teams want to measure every nickel and measure every dime and say, ‘You know, we’ll make a trade after the trade freeze.’ The Detroit Red Wings have something like $20 million in cap space. So, if a team needs to move a player, maybe a team in New York with a winger. Oh, I don’t know, as Yzerman looks for another top-six forward? If that team wants that player off the roster and off the payroll, Detroit can absorb just about any right now. So, I got my eyes on the Detroit Red Wings.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…