COLUMBUS, Ohio — The NHL’s roster freeze went into effect Wednesday afternoon, but not before forward Artemi Panarin — 2015-16 Calder Trophy winner with the Chicago Blackhawks — was traded from the New York Rangers to the Los Angeles Kings. It was a bombshell move right before the NHL halts its schedule for the Olympics.
Fans will get one more day of marquee NHL action on Thursday. The impressive Pittsburgh Penguins will meet the red-hot Buffalo Sabres, the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils will meet in a short-travel battle and the chance of fighting is high in the Sunshine State rivalry between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers.
Then it all stops — in America, at least. The action will move to Milan, Italy.
It’s been a grueling January for the entire NHL as the league jam-packed the first month of 2026 to accommodate the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The Hawks played 16 games last month, with four separate back-to-backs.
The Hawks visited the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time in five days after a 4-2 loss in Chicago on Jan. 30. The Blue Jackets came into Wednesday’s game winners of the past six, including a road win in New Jersey 24 hours prior.
Ryan Donato took a hit in the first period that left him sprawled on the ice, staring a hole through the referee. He laid a frustration hit on left winger Mason Marchment and defenseman Ivan Provorov scored in the chaos.
Ryan Donato of the Chicago Blackhawks passes the puck against Cole Sillinger of the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at Nationwide Arena on Feb. 4, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
Hawks blueliner Wyatt Kaiser was injured and helped off the ice after defenseman Zach Werenski — who opened the goal scoring and Columbus cannon firing — fell on his leg. Kaiser was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game and his status is to be determined heading into the break.
Ohio’s NHL team cruised to its seventh straight win and will look to keep that momentum come their next game on Feb. 26 in Boston. The Hawks … well. It’ll be nice to take a break from the pressure for a few weeks.
“I’m viewing the break to see how long it takes for the family to get sick of me, because that generally happens,” Hawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “It’s been a grind of a schedule right now, so certainly we’ll take advantage of that.”
The Hawks are 22-26-9 after a 4-0 loss to the Blue Jackets on Wednesday. The shutout is their sixth defeat in seven games.
Connor Bedard found his post-injury stride despite a quiet Columbus game. Upon return from the break, it is presumed he will be at full strength and back to his pre-injury self.
“The plan when he gets back is to start taking faceoffs, when you’re not taking faceoffs ever, it puts you on the wall a lot,” Blashill said of Bedard. “I know he’s healthy enough to play, and so at that point, you’re 100% if you’re out there playing.”
Others are hoping for revitalization upon their return. The Hawks aren’t in a playoff spot right now, so that automatically means there’s work to be done upon returning.
The step back from the ice can kickstart that process.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to rebuild our foundation and fundamentals, both individually and as a team,” Blashill said.
Artyom Levshunov has been a healthy scratch for the past three games as he takes part in a “program” to touch up on his two-way game. Blashill is looking for him to improve in three areas: shooting technique, defensive positioning and footwork, and “delivering the puck in the right spot.”
The defenseman will spend some time practicing in Florida during the Olympic break, where he also spends his summers. He has two goals and 19 assists on the season.
“To say that we have a miracle cure on in two days is not a reality,” Blashill said on Tuesday. “This is something that’s really going to build through when we come back as much as we can over the course of the last month in time, and certainly this summer, it’s going to be huge.”
On the other hand, some players will take some time to clear their heads before returning. The number of skaters who will take that path, though, may have gone down after Columbus cruised past them.
“I’d rather after that one to be playing tomorrow night, (but) I think (the break), it’s good for everybody,” said Nick Foligno, the Hawks’ current captain and former Blue Jackets captain from 2015-21. “I think it’s important if we use it wisely, and we’ll come back with a ton of energy and make sure we have a good push here, and use the practice time that we have to get better.”
The team will be together in cheering on their lone Olympian, Teuvo Teräväinen. The 31-year-old will have infinite Hawks support as he flies to Milan to play for Finland.
“We have one player that will be in the Olympics, so we’ll have the majority of our team together,” Blashill said. “So, that’s a pretty unique opportunity.”
Added Teräväinen: “Everybody’s cheering for me, so I’m happy about that. A lot of other good teammates here and they’re cheering for me.”
