Islanders Stand Pat At Olympic Roster Freeze, With Much To Discuss
The Islanders don't make another move ahead of the Olympic Roster Freeze.
Pencils down.
We’ve reached 3:00 PM ET on Feb. 4, which means the NHL has officially entered its Olympic Roster Freeze.
From now until 11:59 PM ET on Feb. 22 (per PuckPedia):
No trades are permitted.
Players may be sent down if they are waiver-exempt, except for players who:
Appeared in 16 of their team’s final 20 NHL games prior to the freeze, or
Have been on an NHL roster for 80 league days prior to Jan. 21.
Players can be placed on waivers during the freeze. However, if a player was waived after their team’s final game before the freeze, they do not have to report to their new team until Feb. 17.
There are no restrictions on sending players down prior to the freeze.
That said, just because trades can’t be completed doesn’t mean they won’t be worked on over the next three weeks. Once the NHL resumes play, there will be just over a week remaining before the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline on March 6.
The Islanders—who still have one game remaining before a much-needed break—sit third in the Metropolitan Division, holding a four-point cushion over the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals.
Below is a collection of sourced information, notes, analysis, and observations with the freeze now officially upon us.