4 storylines leading up to NHL Trade Deadline

LAS VEGAS --The 2022 NHL Trade Deadline is six weeks from Monday.

"It'll be interesting," New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider said.
Interesting might be an understatement when describing what the next month and a half in the NHL will be like, up to the March 21 deadline.
This phase of the season will feature several important parts. Here are four:
1. Catching up
The NHL rescheduled 95 games that were postponed because of COVID-19 to be played in what was previously the Olympic window, a period starting Monday and running through Feb. 22.
The wide margin in games played between teams in each division will shrink in the next 16 days and allow for a clearer picture of the standings without so much focus on games in hand.
For example, the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers each have 64 points, tied for first in the Metropolitan Division, but the Hurricanes have played five fewer games (47-42). They will each have played 50 by Feb. 21.
The Hurricanes will play four games, all on the road, before the Rangers play next on Feb. 15.
The Calgary Flames are fourth in the Pacific Division, three points behind the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks. That could change with the Flames playing seven home games from Feb. 9-21, and the Ducks and Kings playing a combined seven games in that window.
With fewer discrepancies in games played, teams will have a better idea where they stand in the Stanley Cup Playoff races going into late February and early March, and a clearer delineation between buyers and sellers going into the trade deadline will emerge.

2. Decision time
Claude Giroux, Marc-Andre Fleury, Tomas Hertl, Phil Kessel, and possibly Joe Pavelski and John Klingberg, will be headliners in trade rumors and discussions.
Each is an impact player and can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, and could be the missing piece for a Stanley Cup run.
Giroux, the Philadelphia Flyers forward and captain since the 2012-13 season, has a full no-movement clause and an $8.275 million NHL salary cap charge. Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher has said it'll be Giroux's decision if he gets traded or stays in Philadelphia.
The Flyers are 17 points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 37 games to play.
"A lot of time left," Giroux said. "A lot of hockey left. I know the playoffs for us, it's going to be a long shot, but I've seen crazier things."
Fleury, the Chicago Blackhawks goalie, could also be traded, and the Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers will likely be interested.
The Avalanche, first in the Central Division, are especially a team to watch in the run-up to the deadline.
"We're definitely going for it," Colorado forward Nazem Kadri said. "We've had a great first half this year and looking for an even better second half."
Kessel, a forward with the Arizona Coyotes, is expected to be traded.
The next several weeks will determine if Hertl, the San Jose Sharks forward, and Pavelski, the Dallas Stars forward, and Klingberg, a defenseman for Dallas, will be on the trading block.
The Stars and Sharks each have 48 points and are four points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. San Jose has played 46 games and won't play again until Feb. 14. Dallas has played 43 games.
"Right now, we're not really worried about it," Pavelski said. "We're trying to [focus on], how do we get into this playoff race with Dallas? I have a lot of belief in this team. We have a team that can play a heavy, playoff-style game, but we need that opportunity, and we need to pick up our game and the consistency of it to get there. That's where all the focus is right now."
3. Eichel returns
Jack Eichel will likely make his debut for the Vegas Golden Knights before the trade deadline.
The center has been recovering from artificial disk replacement surgery he had Nov. 12, eight days after the Golden Knights acquired him in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres. He has been practicing with the Golden Knights since Jan. 11.
Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said Friday that Eichel could be cleared for contact next week.
"The doctor was adamant that three months from surgery there be absolutely no contact, and I believe that's this week," DeBoer said. "So I think coming out of this break, that's going to be on the table about starting contact."
Where will Eichel fit in the lineup? Who are his linemates? Those questions could be answered soon.
4. Under the stars
The NHL will take it outdoors twice.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will become the 27th team to participate in an outdoor game when they play the Nashville Predators in the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game at Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans, on Feb. 26.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will play the Buffalo Sabres in the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario, home of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats, on March 13.
"It's almost like we can't talk about it enough, that's how excited we are," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. "We've been waiting for this for a while in Tampa. I think excited probably would be an understatement."
NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika and staff writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this story