As the 2026 Winter Games unfold in Milan and Cortina, hockey has once again seized the global spotlight—and for New Jersey fans, the timing could not be more meaningful. While the world’s best players battle on Olympic ice, the New Jersey Devils find themselves at a pivotal crossroads back home, using the international break as a rare window to reassess leadership, roster construction, and the long-term identity of the franchise. It is a moment where elite international competition and local accountability meet, offering a powerful lens into what modern hockey demands and what the Devils must become to keep pace.

Women’s Hockey: Rivalry Day

The preliminary round is concluding, with the top eight teams moving to the quarterfinals starting Friday. 

• Today’s Marquee Matchup: USA vs. Canada (2:10 p.m. ET). Both teams are undefeated. However, Canada will be without captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who was ruled out today following an injury in yesterday’s game against Czechia.
• Recent Results (Feb 9–10):
  • Sweden 4, Japan 0: Sweden moves to 4-0 in Group B.
  • USA 5, Switzerland 0: The U.S. improved to 3-0 yesterday with a shutout led by Haley Winn and Caroline Harvey.
  • Canada 5, Czechia 1: Canada maintained its perfect record but lost Poulin to injury.
  • Italy vs. Germany: Currently in a scoreless tie during the second period (Feb 10). 

Men’s Hockey: NHL Stars Arrive

For the first time since 2014, NHL players are participating in the Olympics. Teams have arrived in Milan, and practices are underway. 

• Opening Games (Feb 11):
  • Finland vs. Slovakia (10:40 a.m. ET)
  • Italy vs. Sweden (3:10 p.m. ET)
• Team USA/Canada Schedule:
  • USA opens against Latvia on Thursday, Feb 12 (3:10 p.m. ET).
  • Canada opens against Czechia on Thursday, Feb 12 (10:40 a.m. ET).
• Key Rosters & Captains:
  • Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) is the captain for Team USA, with Matthew Tkachuk and Charlie McAvoy as alternates.
  • Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) captains Team Canada for the second time.
  • Team USA recently added Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim Ducks) to the roster to replace the injured Seth Jones. 

The women’s Olympic tournament has reached a decisive phase, with the preliminary round tightening into a high-pressure race toward the quarterfinals. Only eight teams will advance, and the margins separating medal contenders from early exits have been razor thin. The marquee showdown between the United States and Canada arrives with both programs undefeated and operating at championship intensity. The rivalry remains the defining standard of the women’s game—fast, physically committed, and relentlessly structured—but this meeting carries an added layer of drama with Canada forced to adjust on the fly following the absence of captain Marie-Philip Poulin after an injury sustained earlier in group play.

The tournament itself has showcased the rapid evolution of international women’s hockey. Sweden’s unbeaten run in group competition has underscored the depth now present beyond the traditional powers, while the United States has demonstrated remarkable defensive discipline and transition efficiency in its early wins. Shutouts, aggressive forechecking, and precise special-teams execution have become common threads among the leading nations, reinforcing how tightly compressed the global talent pool has become.

For New Jersey’s hockey community, the significance extends far beyond the medal race. The Olympic platform continues to shape how young athletes across the state view opportunity, development pathways, and what it truly takes to reach the highest levels of the sport. Coverage and stories like these remain central to Explore New Jersey’s ongoing reporting on the sport across the Garden State through its dedicated New Jersey hockey coverage, where international moments feed directly into the aspirations of local rinks and youth programs.

While the women’s tournament pushes toward elimination play, the men’s Olympic competition opens under an entirely different historical spotlight. For the first time since 2014, NHL players are officially back in the Olympic tournament. The return of the league’s elite talent has transformed the atmosphere in Milan, where practices have drawn international attention and rosters read like All-Star selections rather than national placeholders.

For Team USA, leadership responsibility falls to Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews, supported by alternates Matthew Tkachuk and Charlie McAvoy. Across the rink, Canada counters with a familiar figure at the helm, as Sidney Crosby resumes his role as captain, once again anchoring a lineup built to control possession and dictate tempo in all three zones. The reinstatement of NHL participation restores the true competitive hierarchy of the Olympic tournament, turning every preliminary matchup into a tactical test rather than a formality.

The opening days of competition immediately reveal how little margin exists when the best players in the world collide. Finland, Slovakia, Sweden, Italy, Latvia, and Czechia all enter with systems tailored to neutralize star power through layered defensive coverage and aggressive neutral-zone pressure. For the United States and Canada, early group games are less about surviving and more about establishing structure that can withstand medal-round intensity.

Back in New Jersey, however, Olympic hockey is being watched through a far more introspective lens.

The Devils arrive at the international break facing the uncomfortable reality that their playoff outlook has faded into long-shot territory. A costly loss in a direct four-point swing against a division rival before the break only sharpened the sense that this season is slipping away. For fans and analysts alike, the instinctive reaction is to focus on what needs to be dismantled. But for the organization, the more difficult and far more important task is determining what absolutely must remain.

At the heart of any reset is the core.

Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Luke Hughes form the foundation that cannot be compromised. Depending on how future leadership evaluates the defensive structure, Dougie Hamilton may remain part of that inner circle as well. These players represent the longest contractual commitments, the most significant cap investments, and—most critically—the primary reason fans continue to fill the Prudential Center during an increasingly frustrating season.

The Devils currently have nearly half of their salary cap concentrated within that group, a reflection of a franchise built to compete immediately rather than rebuild slowly. With the NHL salary cap set to rise substantially over the next two seasons, the organization is not facing a spending crisis. It is facing a precision problem—how to allocate new flexibility without repeating past inefficiencies.

The first true contract decision that will test that precision belongs to Arseny Gritsyuk.

Still in the early stages of his NHL career, Gritsyuk has quietly established himself as one of the team’s most reliable transition forwards. His shot generation, forechecking pressure, and puck-management instincts consistently create offensive entries, even when results have lagged behind process. The underlying indicators suggest a player poised for a scoring jump rather than stagnation. The Devils face a familiar dilemma: bridge contract now and gamble on future escalation, or secure prime scoring years immediately while the price remains manageable.

From a strategic standpoint, a long-term commitment aligns with the organization’s broader competitive timeline. Gritsyuk is approaching what should be his most productive seasons, and his ability to handle physical play while driving possession makes him an increasingly valuable middle-six fixture.

Simon Nemec presents a far more complicated evaluation.

Offensively, his development curve remains promising. His point production has reached a career high, and on-ice shooting results improve noticeably when he is deployed. Defensively, however, consistency continues to elude him. Positioning errors, risk-heavy reads, and an overall tendency to turn games into high-event sequences have prevented him from stabilizing a regular role. At just 21, Nemec remains younger than many players still developing in college or the American Hockey League, and patience is warranted. But patience does not require long-term financial commitment.

A short bridge deal would allow the Devils to preserve flexibility while challenging Nemec to refine his defensive habits in a more structured role. Development remains the priority. Certainty does not.

The most important summer priority, however, stands well above all others.

Nico Hischier is the franchise’s competitive compass.

His role as the Devils’ top matchup center has defined his career in New Jersey. Night after night, he absorbs the league’s most difficult assignments, freeing offensive deployment for Jack Hughes and enabling the coaching staff to protect other lines. The cost of that responsibility is visible in raw scoring totals that rarely reflect his true value.

When adjusted for usage, Hischier’s production profile places him among the league’s most efficient two-way centers. Over the span of his current contract, he has delivered near-elite per-game scoring while carrying the heaviest defensive workload on the roster. With the salary cap projected to rise sharply into the latter half of the decade, the Devils are positioned to retain him at a cap percentage consistent with his current deal without sacrificing future flexibility.

The message must be unmistakable. Hischier is not simply a core piece. He is the structural centerpiece.

Immediately behind him on the organizational priority list sits Cody Glass.

Few players on the Devils roster are more underutilized relative to their impact. Glass has emerged as one of the team’s most effective defensive forwards while quietly producing at a rate well above what his ice time would suggest. His penalty-killing results have been exceptional, yet his deployment on special teams remains limited. Even more puzzling is his minimal usage on the power play, despite a shooting profile that consistently outperforms team averages.

Glass offers exactly what the Devils’ lineup architecture requires—a center capable of absorbing defensive matchups without sacrificing offensive transition. In a properly balanced lineup, his presence could unlock more aggressive usage for Hischier and Hughes rather than forcing one player to shoulder every difficult shift.

Dawson Mercer occupies a different category of evaluation.

Once projected as a long-term offensive fixture in the top six, Mercer’s development has plateaued. Early flashes this season suggested a breakout was coming, but production declined sharply as his role shifted and confidence wavered. His most effective play continues to come on the wing alongside elite centers, where his forechecking and retrieval work complement high-skill linemates. As a full-time center, the results have been far less convincing.

Mercer remains a valuable roster player. The question is whether he can reclaim the offensive identity that once defined his trajectory. A medium-term contract at a moderate cap hit would protect the organization while still giving Mercer the opportunity to re-establish himself as a reliable second-line contributor.

Beyond the headline names, several veteran contracts loom quietly in the background.

Stefan Noesen continues to provide net-front presence and leadership but must demonstrate health and durability before any long-term planning can take place. Maxim Tsyplakov has shown flashes of puck protection and playmaking along the walls but has yet to define a consistent NHL role. Nick Bjugstad offers size and situational value but approaches the age where roster spots must be reserved for emerging contributors. Brenden Dillon’s early-season defensive impact was significant, yet internal depth on the blue line may soon render his role redundant.

That internal depth is the most important variable in the Devils’ long-term defensive planning. The Utica pipeline continues to produce legitimate NHL-caliber prospects, and Anton Silayev’s impending arrival only accelerates the timeline. With younger, cost-controlled defensemen pushing upward, the organization must resist the instinct to preserve veteran stability at the expense of developmental opportunity.

As Olympic hockey commands the world’s attention, the contrast is unavoidable.

In Milan and Cortina, teams are constructed around identity, role clarity, and system compatibility. Star power matters, but structure wins tournaments. The Devils’ challenge is not a lack of talent. It is the absence of a clearly defined lineup architecture that allows each player to operate within strengths rather than compensate for systemic imbalance.

The Olympic stage offers a reminder of what modern hockey demands—speed through structure, defensive accountability without sacrificing creativity, and rosters designed to elevate stars rather than insulate flaws. For the New Jersey Devils, the break in the schedule is not merely a pause in games. It is a strategic checkpoint.

What happens next will determine whether the organization emerges from this season positioned for sustained relevance—or simply prepares for another cycle of retooling without direction.