Here are the rules NHL players and teams must follow during the Olympic break

With the Winter Olympics approaching, several important rules and scheduling notes have been released that will impact teams, players, and roster decisions over the next few weeks, per John Shannon.

First, a league-wide trade freeze will go into effect at 3:00 p.m. ET on February 4 and remain in place until 11:59 p.m. ET on February 22. No trades can be completed during that window, adding urgency for teams hoping to make moves ahead of the deadline.

Practice schedules will also be heavily restricted. Teams are not permitted to practice from February 6 through February 16, effectively shutting down on-ice activity while players participate in, or prepare for, the Olympic tournament.

Clubs will be allowed to resume full practices after 2:00 p.m. local time on February 17, giving teams a brief window to regroup and reset before NHL action returns.

The Olympic men’s hockey tournament will run from February 11 to February 22, overlapping directly with the trade freeze and limiting roster maneuvering during that stretch.

Once the Games conclude, the NHL regular season will resume on February 25, with teams jumping back into action following the extended pause.

With movement frozen and practices halted, the Olympic break will be a rare moment of stillness around the league, but once play resumes, the pace is expected to pick up quickly as teams push toward the stretch run.

And who knows, we might get some more blockbuster trades coming in the next two weeks.