It's challenging to keep up with the news during a typical NHL offseason. It's doubly challenging to do so when that offseason begins in late September, ends in mid-January and every day in between presents another focus-devouring distraction from pressing issues like which team signed Radko Gudas. (Spoiler: It was the Florida Panthers.)
So as a service to you, here's a chance to catch up on everything that has happened since the Tampa Bay Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup -- the hirings, firings and signings. But most of all, it's an explanation of what this unprecedented 2021 NHL season is going to look like and how we got here.