NHL 2021-22 Key Dates: All-Star Schedule, Olympic Break, Trade Deadline and More
Mike Chiari@@mikechiari
Featured Columnist IVOctober 1, 2021
After two seasons shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, NHL fans will finally be treated to a full, 82-game schedule during the 2021-22 campaign.
The preseason is in full swing, and the 2021-22 regular-season is about to commence after the shortest offseason in NHL history.
From the end of the 2020-21 Stanley Cup Final to opening night of the 2021-22 season, only about three months will have elapsed.
Fans are undoubtedly ready for the return of hockey, though, and what follows is a full rundown of the key dates to know during the 2021-22 campaign.
Opening Night: Oct. 12, 2021
The 2021-22 regular season will get underway Oct. 12 when the defending two-time Stanley Cup champions and the NHL's newest expansion team play in separate games.
The first game of the season will see the Tampa Bay Lightning hang their Stanley Cup banner when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
In the nightcap at 10 p.m. ET, the Vegas Golden Knights will host the Seattle Kraken.
The Golden Knights and Kraken are the NHL's two newest franchises, and the game will mark the first-ever regular-season contest in Kraken franchise history.
All-Star Weekend: Feb. 4-5, 2022
In addition to playing on opening night, the Golden Knights will host NHL All-Star weekend for the first time this season.
The NHL All-Star Skills competition will take place on Feb. 4, 2022, at T-Mobile Arena, followed by the 2022 NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 5.
There was no All-Star Game last season since the campaign was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and while the decision has traditionally been made to not hold an All-Star weekend during Olympic years with NHL player participation, the league made room for both this time around.
Olympic Break: Feb. 4-22, 2022
After having NHL players compete at every Winter Olympics since the 1998 Nagano Games, the NHL pulled its players from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Fans and players alike pushed for the league to reverse course for the 2022 Games in Beijing, and the pressure worked, as the NHL created an Olympic break in its schedule and eventually finalized plans to have NHL players in the Winter Olympics.
NHL All-Star weekend from Feb. 4-5 will run right into the Olympic break with any All-Star competing in the Olympics going straight from Vegas to Beijing on Feb. 6.
NHL regular-season play will then resume on Feb. 23, 2022.
Outdoor Games: Jan. 1, 2022; Feb. 26, 2022; March 13, 2022
There are three outdoor games on tap during the 2021-22 season in three consecutive months from January through March.
The first will be the Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2022, which will see the Minnesota Wild host the St. Louis Blues at the Minnesota Twins' Target Field.
Then, the Nashville Predators will host the Lightning at the Tennessee Titans' Nissan Stadium on Feb. 26, 2022.
Finally, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres will do battle in the Heritage Classic on March 13, 2022 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario, which is the home of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Trade Deadline: March 21, 2022
While last season's NHL trade deadline didn't occur until April 12, 2021, due to the shortened nature of the season, a more traditional trade deadline will return in 2021-22.
The 2021-22 deadline will be on March 21, 2022, which is consistent with when the NHL usually has its deadline.
Given that the NHL is returning to an 82-game schedule, there could be even more teams in the playoff mix at this season's deadline than last season, meaning a deluge of trades is possible.
Stanley Cup Playoffs: May 2-June 30, 2022
The 2021-22 season is set to end slightly earlier than 2020-21, which ran until July 7.
With the 2021-22 playoffs beginning on May 2, the latest possible date the Stanley Cup Final can end is June 30. The last day of the Stanley Cup Final last season was July 7.
The Lightning are the NHL's dominant team having won back-to-back Stanley Cups, and they will look to become the first team to win three in a row since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980-83.
