Fans pine for the days when NHL stars lit up Olympic ice, but the league's absence creates a void felt from Turin to now. Players like McDavid and MacKinnon gear up for Milano Cortina sans club rosters, shifting dynamics in a tournament built for pros. The CBA tug-of-war with IIHF looms large, as this gap tests national teams' depth against history's best.

Golden Knights faithful feast on Mitch Marner and Mark Stone's chemistry alongside a true legend of the game, turning Vegas into a sniper's paradise. This trio's synergy hints at the chemistry GMs dream of, elevating a contender already humming post-trade deadline. With Stanley Cup whispers growing, their line dominates shifts that lesser teams can't match.

Canada's Mitch Marner turns the Milano ice into his personal passing parlor, threading needles that leave defenders grasping at air during the men's hockey prelims. You know the guy from those Leafs days - now with the Knights, he's elevating McDavid, Crosby, and MacKinnon in ways only a pure playmaker can. With NHL stars back in the Olympics for the first time since Sochi, this loaded roster eyes gold, but Marner's vision sets the tone early in the quarterfinal push.

Canada rolls into Milano-Cortina with NHL stars like McDavid and Celebrini fresh off a 5-0 dismantling of the Czechs, setting up a Group A clash against a Swiss squad that blanked France 4-0. Switzerland's pulled off that rare 2006 upset over Canada, but with the Maple Leafs' speed and depth - think Stone tapping in with Marner - the Swiss backcheck faces a nightmare.

Mark Stone and Mitch Marner connect on a goal so filthy it belongs in the Hall of Fame video vault during Canada's Olympic opener. Vegas' captain and Toronto's wizard sync up like they've shared a locker room for years, dazzling Milan with pure hockey sorcery. That kind of chemistry from NHL All-Stars hints at the firepower carrying Canada deep into the medal chase.

Whispers from front offices point to Mitch Marner settling in Vegas after that blockbuster sign-and-trade, but teams still circle with offers that could shake up the Core Four remnants in Toronto. Sam Bennett draws eyes from clubs hungry for his playoff snarl, while Marco Rossi emerges as a dark horse in extension talks that could lock down Minnesota's future. GMs huddle as the deadline looms, weighing cap crunches against the prize of adding elite pieces who deliver when the lights brighten.