When does the NHL’s 2019 holiday roster freeze begin?

The NHL’s 2019 holiday roster freeze will take effect on Dec. 19 at midnight ahead of the upcoming end-of-the-year holidays.

The holiday season is upon us, meaning the NHL is set to put in effect the annual roster freeze. During this time, NHL teams will not be allowed to trade, waive or loan players that are on “active rosters, injured reserve, or with non-roster and injured non-roster status” until the deadline is lifted.

This season, the NHL’s holiday roster freeze will take effect on 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 19 and end on Friday, Dec. 27 at 11:59 p.m. ET. That means that any of the 31 hockey teams will have to make any moves that impact their current rosters before Thursday evening’s deadline — save for emergencies — as the freeze will begin for it’s week-long period.

The NHL will also take three days off over Christmas — from Dec. 24 to Dec. 26 — for a holiday break, meaning hockey will return on Friday, Dec. 27 with a slate of 11 games to play.

With the NHL’s impending roster freeze, various high-profile moves could be made in the days to come as teams prepare to solidify their rosters for a week. The biggest name to watch out for this season is Taylor Hall, the 28-year-old forward of the New Jersey Devils. Hall has been on the trade block for most of the 2019-20 NHL season, with various teams such as the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche linked to the star forward.

There has been much movement on the Hall front in recent days, as it seems the Devils would like to get him moved by the NHL’s roster freeze that would take effect later this week. Rumors heated up on Friday evening, as the Devils scratched Hall for two consecutive games in a row as a deal looked more imminent, but a move has yet to be made on that front.