Golden Knights reveal Jack Eichel's return status for NHL games after Olympics

Jack Eichel won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

Soon, he'll return to NHL action with the Vegas Golden Knights.

How soon, though? Maybe not as soon as some Knights fans would like.

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When is Jack Eichel coming back?

Eichel won't play in the Knights' game on Wednesday, but instead is supposed to play Friday.

That's what head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters on Tuesday, with the same situation applying to U.S. defenseman Noah Hanifan.

Vegas also has three players from Team Canada on the roster: Mitch Marner, Mark Stone and Shea Theodore.

The silver medalists, according to Cassidy, are still "TBD" to play Wednesday.

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The Golden Knights are on the road Wednesday night to play the Los Angeles Kings.

They actually then make a cross-country trip from there to play the Washington Capitals on Friday.

It's not clear what the actual travel plans for Eichel and Hanifan are, but they are both in the nation's capital on Tuesday to attend the State of the Union with most of their U.S. teammates. Seems like they could just stay there and meet up with the team when they fly in from Hollywood.

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