Elliotte Friedman highlights 'only real concern' following 4 Nations success

In Thursday's edition of his "32 Thoughts" column on Sportsnet, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman highlighted a key issue following the 4 Nations tournament. While the event was a success, NHL teams are concerned about receiving injury updates on their players.

With the Olympics approaching, national federations will take over the management of players, making it harder for NHL teams to communicate with players. The 4 Nations tournament showed high-level hockey and excited fans, but as Friedman noted, NHL teams need clear updates on injured players.

"Only real concern from otherwise magnificent 4 Nations: making sure NHL teams have access to information when their players suffer injuries. Hopefully none happen, but with the Olympics half a world away and other federations in control, no one wants an information vacuum," Friedman wrote.

A major concern is the Olympics, where games will be played far from North America. NHL teams may have trouble getting real-time updates on injured players.

In past tournaments, some teams had issues getting injury details. NHL clubs invest a lot in their players and need timely updates. If the NHL and NHLPA do not set clear rules, teams may face problems with national federations over injury reports.

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NHL rethinks 2026 All-Star weekend plans after 4 Nations Face-Off success

The NHL is rethinking its 2026 All-Star Weekend after the 4 Nations Face-Off’s success. The event was planned for UBS Arena before players left for the Milan Olympics. Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league wants to maintain high standards.

“We’re reevaluating how we want to do things because I think we’ve raised the bar about as high as you can for an all-star game in any sport,” Bettman said Wednesday (via NHL.com). “And so we want to make sure whatever we do is up to the standards that we’ve created.”

Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said a decision will come before the playoffs start on Apr. 19.

Apart from that, no rule changes are planned for next season. General managers discussed video reviews and goaltender interference challenges but saw no need for changes. The league also won’t extend 3-on-3 overtime to 10 minutes due to ice conditions and player fatigue.

For the first time, the NHL Draft on June 27-28 will be decentralized. Teams will operate remotely instead of gathering in one location. Bettman said clubs voted for this change but can vote again if they want to return to the old format.

“This is what the clubs said they wanted,” Bettman said. “If there’s a desire to go back because the clubs miss each other, miss being on the floor together, we’ll put it back to a vote again. We can be flexible.”

Additionally, the 2025-26 season will start on Oct. 7. Bettman confirmed the Stanley Cup Playoffs will not expand. He said the current format makes regular-season races exciting.