The Winter Olympics are well underway in Milan, and the ice hockey tournament features National Hockey League talent for the first time since the 2014 Games in Sochi.

Here in Pittsburgh, the Penguins have sent four players off to the Milan Games: Sidney Crosby for Canada, Arturs Silovs for Latvia, and Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell for Sweden.

For the rest of the players, they’ll enjoy a few weeks off to rest and reset ahead of the NHL’s return on February 25th.

For some, a break from constant NHL action might do more harm than good, slowing their momentum and breaking up their rhythm. But for other players, a nice multi-week break might be exactly what they need right now. Here’s three players who might be positively impacted by the pause.

Kris Letang

Letang has had a rollercoaster of the year.

At times, he looks like vintage Tanger. He’s made a few pretty spry defensive plays this season and has three goals and 22 assists (25 points) on the year so far through 50 games. At other times, though, Letang has looked every bit like a 38-year-old defenseman skating in a young man’s NHL.

On January 31st, Letang was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury, which is slated to sideline him for a minimum of four weeks. He missed the team’s final four games heading into the Olympic break, and is scheduled to miss a few games coming out of the pause. But, with the Penguins having a few weeks off, a decent portion of Letang’s recovery will nicely coincide with the team taking a vacation.

Even if Letang is not quite what he once was in the NHL, he’s still a very important member of the team’s blue line. The defensive unit, on paper, one of the worst in the league. If I had showed you that lineup before the season, you’d think the tank is going beautifully.

Instead, head coach Dan Muse and his staff are making it work, having that group punch well above its weight. Letang is still a major component in that, accounting for 22:06 a night. That total is on pace for his lowest average since the 2009-10 season, but it’s still second on the team behind Erik Karlsson.

If Letang’s return is closer to the optimistic four-week timeline, he’ll miss minimal time while the Penguins were actually playing. He doesn’t have to worry about trying to hurry back nearly as fast while the world’s eyes are on Milan.