Lightning Panthers Hockey.JPG

Tampa Bay forwards Nikita Kucherov, J.T. Brown and Nate Thompson celebrate a goal scored by Brown against the Florida Panthers last month. Kucherov and Brown could be sent to the Syracuse Crunch during the Olympic break without requiring NHL waivers. As a veteran who would need to clear waivers to play in the AHL, Thompson is one of the vast majority of NHL players who will likely get time off during the break.

(Alan Diaz/The Associated Press)

Next month's NHL break for the Winter Olympic in Sochi, Russia, offers a brief window for many players in that league to stay in game shape with a quick AHL stint.

But don't expect the AHL to be temporarily overrun with players coming down from up top.

The transaction rules governing NHL transactions during the Olympic break are very specific and limiting. Tampa Bay assistant general manager Julien BriseBois forwarded me a copy of them, and I've tried to simplify them as much as possible below.

Hopefully nothing got lost in in the translation.

First, the Olympic break runs from Feb. 9-18.

Starting with the easiest rule first, any NHL player subject to waivers normally are still subject to them during the break. So Tampa Bay defensemen Keith Aulie or Mark Barberio couldn't just join the Crunch for a quick two-week tour without first being exposed to waivers.

Next are the players who do NOT require waivers to return to the AHL. The NHL has divided those into two groups: 87-day players and 16-game players.

All waiver-exempt players who have been on an NHL roster (including the Injured Reserve List) for 75 percent or more of the days from the start of the season up to and including Jan. 24 (i.e., has been on an NHL roster for 87 days or more between Oct. 1 and Jan. 24) AND who remain on an NHL roster as of Jan. 24 will have earned "Olympic Time-Off". This is regardless of whether the player remains on NHL roster during the period from Jan. 24 to Feb. 8 or whether he is loaned to an AHL affiliate during that period.

BUT these 87-day players who are loaned to the AHL prior to 5 p.m. on Jan. 24 AND who remain on loan through the start of the Olympic break are NOT entitled to such time off and ARE eligible for AHL action. However, if the player does not remain on loan through the start of the Olympic break, he will get the break off.

Players who participate in 16 of their club's last 20 games leading up to the Olympic Break ("16-game players") will also have earned time off, regardless of whether he he is loaned to an AHL affiliate prior to his club's final game before the Olympic break.

Both groups of players will be ineligible for loan between the parent team's final game before the Olympic break and the conclusion of the Olympic break.

But here is where it gets a little tricky.

Both groups of players WILL be eligible for loan during a "pre-Olympic period,'' running from Jan. 24 to Feb.8, as long as any such loan occurs prior to the club's final game before the Olympic break.

However, these players may NOT practice, participate or play for the AHL affiliate during the Olympic break.

Waiver-exempt players who do NOT meet the 87-day or 16-game criteria ARE eligible for loan at anytime prior to the Olympic break through 5 p.m. on the day following the NHL team's final game before the Olympic Break.

If these players are NOT loaned back prior to that 5 p.m. deadline, they will be ineligible for loan for the remainder of the Olympic break.

That's a lot to get through. So, what does it potentially mean for the Syracuse Crunch?

Well. Tampa Bay, like the rest of the NHL teams, is weeks away from making transaction decisions.

But, just speaking theoretically, rookie forwards Tyler Johnson, Richard Panik and Ondrej Palat are all waiver-exempt. Since they have been with the team since the start of the season, they would fall under the 87-day rule.

If Tampa Bay wants any of them to keep playing in Syracuse through the Olympic break, they would have to be loaned here by Jan. 24. Or, if the Lightning want any of the players to skate here during the pre-Olympic break (but NOT during the Olympic intermission itself) they can loan them to the Crunch before Tampa Bay's final game before the Olympic hiatus.

Rookie Tampa Bay forwards J.T. Brown and Nikita Kucherov will not have been up long enough to reach 87-day status. But they could qualify for the 16-game group. If they do, they would still be OK for a demotion during the pre-Olympic break as specified above.

Get all that?