The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina have been more than just a global stage for hockey excellence-they’ve become a midseason pressure cooker for NHL teams looking to make moves before the March 6 trade deadline. For the first time since 2014, NHL players are back in Olympic action, and what they’re doing in Cortina is turning heads back home in front offices across the league.
Some performances are directly impacting trade value. Others are more subtle, shifting how teams think about their timelines or roster construction. With the Olympic roster freeze lifting soon and the trade window reopening around February 22, GMs will be watching Cortina highlights like game tape-looking for the spark that justifies a deadline deal.
Let’s break down a few names who’ve made the most of their Olympic moment-and what it could mean when the NHL trade market heats up again.
Dalibor Dvorský (St. Louis Blues, Slovakia)
Dalibor Dvorský didn’t just show up in Cortina-he announced himself. The 20-year-old center has posted two goals and two assists, but the numbers only tell part of the story. He was the engine behind Slovakia’s upset win over Finland, and outside of Juraj Slafkovský, no one has been more dangerous offensively for the Slovaks.
Here’s the thing: the Blues aren’t trading Dvorský. That’s not even on the table.
What is on the table, though, is how his emergence could shift the team’s approach at the deadline. If he’s already looking like a top-six center on the international stage, St.
Louis might feel more confident moving a veteran like Robert Thomas-especially if there’s a chance to bring in assets that accelerate a retool.
Dvorský’s Olympic breakout doesn’t just raise eyebrows-it could reshape the Blues’ internal depth chart and open doors that weren’t there a few weeks ago.
Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues, Canada)
Jordan Binnington has had his share of doubters over the past couple seasons, but his Olympic performance is forcing a few of them to reconsider. As one of Team Canada’s go-to netminders, Binnington has looked poised and reliable-traits that matter a whole lot more when the games are this big and the lights are this bright.
Now, Binnington’s name had already been floating in trade rumors earlier this season. There’s no question that teams looking for goaltending depth-especially contenders-have been keeping tabs.
But what’s changed is the perception. If he’s showing he can be a steady No. 1 in a high-pressure environment, that’s going to raise his value.
And if the Blues are going to move him, they’ll have the leverage to ask for more.
The question isn’t whether Binnington is tradable-it’s whether St. Louis sees enough in his Olympic showing to make that decision a little tougher.
Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks, Canada)
Let’s be clear: Macklin Celebrini isn’t going anywhere. The Sharks aren’t trading him, and there’s not a GM in the league who’d even dare to ask. But what Celebrini is doing in Cortina is changing how players-and maybe even agents-look at San Jose.
At just 19, Celebrini has been electric for Team Canada. He’s not just competing-he’s commanding the ice.
And while the Sharks are still deep in their rebuild, Celebrini is giving them a gravitational pull. He’s the kind of player veterans want to play with, the kind of talent that makes a team suddenly more attractive to guys with no-trade clauses and a few years left on their deals.
Think about players like Vincent Trocheck-veterans who might’ve looked at San Jose as a place to avoid. Now?
They might see an opportunity to boost their numbers, make a playoff push, and be part of something special. It’s the same effect Connor McDavid had in Edmonton early on: a generational talent changes the math.
Celebrini isn’t just the future of the Sharks-he’s already reshaping their present.
The Clock Is Ticking
With the Olympic roster freeze set to lift and the trade window reopening soon, the NHL is about to enter a short, high-stakes stretch where teams have to make quick decisions. What players have done in Cortina-whether they’ve boosted their value, changed perceptions, or simply reminded teams of their upside-will factor heavily into those calls.
This is the kind of pressure-cooked environment where bold moves get made. And for a handful of players, their Olympic moment might be the catalyst that sends them into a new chapter back in the NHL.