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McKenzie: When will Olympians play for Bruins, Predators, Wild?

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Now that the 2018 Winter Olympics are over, it's time to discuss the NHL futures for the stars from around the world, including Team USA's Ryan Donato.

Hockey insider Bob McKenzie appeared on NBCSN on Wednesday, sharing some fantastic post-trade-deadline insight.

Actually, in the case of the video above, it’s most fitting to call it a post-2018 Winter Olympics update. For those who enjoyed the ride to the OAR’s eventual gold medal - even if it meant disappointments for the U.S. and others - you’re probably wondering about the paths for different standpoint players.

In the video above, McKenzie discusses:

Two Wild prospects: Kirill Kaprizov and Jordan Greenway.

Kaprizov dazzled for Russia/OAR, including scoring “the golden goal.” (More on that gold-medal win here.)

Well, McKenzie’s update wasn’t very promising. He notes that the impressive scorer is locked into a KHL deal through 2019-20, or at least two KHL seasons after this one. So maybe, with the way those deals sometimes work out, Minnesota might be able to get him a bit earlier? Either way, the shorter answer is: don’t expect him soon.

Greenway, on the other hand, might be a big body the Wild might be able to add sometime around playoff time.

Another U.S. Olympian for the Bruins?

Boston already added Brian Gionta, as McKenzie notes, “for depth.” What about Ryan Donato (pictured), who’s currently at Harvard and was the 56th pick by Boston during the 2014 NHL Draft?

Well, there’s a lot up in the air, including a scary scenario where Donato could even make himself a free agent in May. McKenzie tells Bruins fans not to worry but ... *trembles for Bruins fans.*

Eeli’s coming?

The Nashville Predators hope to bring Eeli Tolvanen in after he was brilliant for Finland and has been strong in the KHL. McKenzie provides more insight, while this post covers similar bases.
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Interesting stuff, indeed. One or more of these teams might get a boost from an Olympic tournament standout during the NHL’s own high-pressure tournament. We’ll need to wait and see with each case, though.


James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.