This Week in the NHL: Will Olympic trade freeze produce mini-deadline deals?

With 32 teams, games every night and countless narratives emerging, the NHL season can make one’s head spin, and it’s easy to miss out on the weekly storylines. Not to worry; every Monday from October to April, I’ll map out the major events, games, plotlines and milestones on tap for the next seven days.

So what’s happening the week of Feb. 2-8?

Feb. 2: Celebrini, Bedard clash for second time ever

San Jose Sharks @ Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. ET

The two friends, B.C., natives and fellow first-overall picks first faced off last year. Celebrini’s Sharks won that game, and it proved an omen of things to come, as San Jose’s rebuild has outpaced Chicago’s, with Celebrini’s breakout season leading a playoff push.

Feb. 4: NHL Olympic roster freeze

It’s pencils down for GMs at 3:00 p.m ET Wednesday. No trades will be permitted from this point until 11:59 p.m. ET Feb. 22. Does that mean we’ll see a mini Trade Deadline play out leading up to Feb. 4? It would give traded players three weeks to sort their lives out and prepare to join their new teams.

Also during the roster freeze, according to PuckPedia:

“Players can be sent down if they are waiver exempt, except for players that played in 16 of the team’s 20 NHL games prior to the freeze, or have been on the NHL roster for 80 league days prior to Jan 21,” and “Players can be placed on waivers during the freeze, but if the player was waived after their NHL team’s final game before the freeze, they do not have to report to their new team until Feb. 17.”

Feb. 6-24: NHL regular season pauses for Olympic break

The actual Olympic tourney begins on the men’s side Feb. 11. The NHL halts its play after a seven-game slate Feb. 5 and doesn’t resume the schedule until Feb. 25. During the break, teams can’t practise from Feb. 6-16, with practices resuming starting at 2:00 p.m. local time Feb. 17, per John Shannon.