The announcement that NHL players will participate in the 2022 Olympics likely inspired a variety of reactions in front offices around the league.
Excitement that some new fans (read, "potential paying customers") will be introduced to the sport.
Concern that a prominent player might get a significant injury in Beijing, sabotaging his team's chances for success during the stretch drive and playoffs.
Relief that club officials now know which schedule for the 2021-22 season will be used -- the league had drawn up one with a lengthy Olympic break in February, another without it -- and can go about chores such as selling tickets and scheduling flights and hotels for away games.
And for Mike Sullivan, confirmation that the NHL will be involved in the Games figures to add to the challenges he's facing as coach of the Penguins.
Not only because Sullivan is scheduled to coach Team USA, which means he'll have to devote at least a little time in coming months to helping select and prepare that squad, but because his two most important players presumably will be involved for their countries, too.
Sidney Crosby is a lock to be named to Team Canada, and might well be chosen its captain for the third time.
Health permitting, Evgeni Malkin is a safe bet to be on Russia's roster, too. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he'd represent his homeland in an international competition.
And while several other Penguins might well be selected to take part in the Olympics -- Jake Guentzel (USA), Kasperi Kapanen (Finland) and Teddy Blueger (Latvia) top the list of candidates -- Crosby and Malkin are of particular interest.
Not only because of their skill levels and career achievements -- both figure to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame at the earliest opportunity -- but because of how long they've been at it.
Malkin is 35, Crosby 34.
While both remain capable of playing the game at a rarefied level, neither can reasonably be expected to consistently perform the way he did when in his prime.
And neither should be counted on to carry the kind of workload he did a few years ago, which is why things could get dicey for Sullivan.
Oh, as coach of the U.S., he probably would love to see two of the key players for elite opponents such as Canada and Russia struggle to produce to expectations because of fatigue. That would go a long way toward helping Sullivan add an Olympic championship to his list of coaching accomplishments.
Trouble is, if Crosby or Malkin is worn down by the time he gets to Beijing, that likely means he was overused during the first three-plus months of the NHL season. And it definitely would make it fair to wonder how much the player would have left for the stretch drive and Stanley Cup playoffs after the tournament and the long trip back to this time zone.
It's possible the issue will be moot with Malkin, since he's recovering from major knee surgery and no target date for his return has been revealed. If Malkin's return to the Penguins doesn't come until the NHL season is several months old, perhaps Russia would pencil him in for a reduced role -- or leave him off the roster entirely, if team officials would be concerned about him being able to be effective in the tournament.
Regardless of when Malkin rejoins the Penguins, though, it probably will be prudent for Sullivan to limit his playing time to something like the 17:44 he averaged in 2020-21.
Crosby has no known medical issues and is a year younger than Malkin, but he averaged 20 minutes, 24 seconds of ice time last season, the most of any Penguins forward.
Cutting back on how much he is used probably won't be realistic while Malkin is unavailable because of his surgery, but perhaps Sullivan will have to order Crosby -- who seems to need hockey the way most people need oxygen -- to stay off the ice for a significant number of practices to conserve his energy.
Having to deal with a reasonably well-rested Crosby in Beijing likely wouldn't be much fun for Sullivan, but neither would trying to get into the playoffs -- let alone have an impact there -- with a No. 1 center whose already-demanding workload has been compounded by several weeks of high-stakes international hockey.