NHL Reveals Key Dates for 2024-25 Season

It's hard to believe that it's already been nearly three months since the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. We're now nearing the middle of September, meaning there's less than a month to go before the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils open the 2024-25 NHL regular season in Czechia on October 4.

While hockey enthusiasts already knew when the new season begins, other important dates — such as the trade deadline and start of the playoffs — were largely unknown. Fortunately, NHL insider David Pagnotta shared the remainder of the key 2024-25 dates on Wednesday.

The first notable date is that the annual holiday roster freeze will last from December 20-27 this winter. Not only will teams be unable to sign or trade players during this stretch, but they also can't send anyone down to the minors or place them on the long-term injured reserve.

Fans already knew that the first-ever NHL 4 Nations Face-Off — played between Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland — was slated to begin on Feb. 10, putting a temporary pause to the regular-season action.

Having said that, we now know that this season's trade deadline will take place on Friday, March 7 at 3 p.m. ET. The 2024 deadline saw a total of 24 trades made on March 8 , leaving time to tell if the excitement will be replicated in six months.

The NHL also revealed that the 2024-25 Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin on April 19, just two days after the regular season ends. The short wait time isn't any different from what we saw last season as the 2023-24 campaign ended on April 18 before the postseason began on April 20.

The final key date for the upcoming season is June 23 is the final possible date for the Stanley Cup Final. This spring's Panthers vs. Oilers series lasted the full seven games before concluding on June 24, indicating that the NHL is attempting to keep a consistent schedule going forward.

Now that every key date of the 2024-25 NHL season is known, the reality of hockey's looming return has become more real.