3 players likely to be traded after Olympic roster freeze.

The National Hockey League took an extended break for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games and with that break came an extended pause on all player transactions around the league. Teams were prevented from making any type trade right up until the Olympic roster freeze was lifted late last night.

Teams in the NHL are now once again free to make any moves they see fit and with the trade deadline only weeks away they will have very little time to get those deals done.

Today we'll be looking at 3 players that are likely to be moved ahead of the trade deadline, with significant trade rumors surrounding all 3 players at this time.

#1 Rasmus Ristolainen - Philadelphia Flyers.

The 31 year old defenseman is coming off of a strong showing for his home country of Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games and his performance at that tournament has no doubt resulted in increased interest ahead of the trade deadline.

The big concern around Ristolainen will be his health with the Finnish blue liner limited to just 19 regular season games this season prior to the Olympics.What does make Ristolainen an interesting target is that he would not be a pure rental with an additional year remaining on the 5 year deal he is currently signed to. Ristolainen comes in at a reasonable cap hit of $5.1 million per season which would in theory make him an option for several contending teams.

#2 Jordan Kyrou - St. Louis Blues

Kyrou is a player that has had his name come up in the rumor mill all season long and it seems the player is well aware of the rumors surrounding him this season.

Recently, NHL insider David Pagnotta even suggested that Kyrou may have reached the stage where he would welcome a trade.

"I would be surprised if Kyrou is a member of the Blues next season," said Pagnotta on the DFO Rundown. "I'm not sure where those conversations are gonna go over the next 2 and a half weeks before the deadline, but I believe he as well is open to a change of scenery."

Kyrou is only 27 years of age and is coming off of 3 consecutive 30 goal seasons prior to this season and would likely be the most expensive player to acquire on this list in terms of assets. Kyrou is only in the 3rd year of an 8 year deal that carries an average annual value and cap hit of $8.125 million per season which would mean any team acquiring him would have him for 5 seasons beyond this one.

#3 Vincent Trocheck - New York Rangers

The Rangers are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline and there are many who believe that Trocheck is the team's most valuable trading chip. Trocheck has been linked to the likes of the Minnesota Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and more in recent weeks and it seems like only a matter of time before he is dealt.

Like Kyrou, Trocheck also comes with several years of control on his deal with the 32 year old in just the 4th year of a 7 year deal that carries an average annual value and cap hit of $5.625 million per season.

Trocheck seems well aware of the rumors even jokingly joining the team photo of the Minnesota Wild while in Milan, Italy for the Olympics. The Wild are of course one of the teams that Trocheck has been linked to in recent weeks.

Would you want any or all of these players on your team before the trade deadline? Let me know what you think in the comments.