The New York Islanders and the rest of the NHL are on hiatus for the 2026 Olympic Break.
However, their AHL affiliate, Bridgeport Islanders are still in action, playing nine games before the Islanders resume their season against the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 26.
Advertisement
During the Olympic break, there’s a roster freeze, which means that players can’t be traded. However, select waiver-exempt players are eligible to be loaned back to their AHL affiliate during this time.
Things To Know About The NHL’s Olympic Roster Freeze; How It Affects Islanders
Things To Know About The NHL’s Olympic Roster Freeze; How It Affects Islanders Islanders face roster restrictions during the Olympic freeze. Key players stay put, impacting playoff push and trade deadline strategy.
Many teams will return prospects so they can continue working on their game and keep playing during the break.
While the Islanders have two players — Maxim Shabanov and Calum Ritchie — who are waiver-exempt, they cannot be sent to Bridgeport.
Advertisement
Although neither has played in 16 of the Islanders’ final 20 games before the roster freeze, which was on Wednesday at 3 PM ET, both have been on an NHL roster for 80 league days, making them ineligible to head down.
That’s not a problem for the Islanders. Shabanov, who is taking part in his first NHL season after coming over from the KHL, could use a breather from the rigorous NHL game and schedule, which is vastly different from that of his former league.
Ritchie just returned from a lower-body injury that kept him out for five games and will use this break to rest up, as he’ll be relied upon heavily once the schedule resumes.
Read the full article here
