50 Biggest Questions Looking Ahead to the Rest of the NHL Season

With the NHL trade deadline absurdity coming and going with a wave of rumors, speculation and potential deals, many questions have been answered.

Certain teams have made clear their intentions for the rest of the season, and all the possible outcomes of the pre-deadline business have been answered.

The course of the season has presented many scenarios which intrigue hockey fans for the remainder of the year.

50. Will Zidlicky's Season Improve with Devils?

Marek Zidlicky felt he was not being used correctly in Minnesota.

The recent trade to New Jersey gives him a new opportunity to showcase his skills.

49. Does Nabokov Get a New Contract with the Islanders?

Evgeni Nabokov and the New York Islanders have been in contract discussions for a while now, though no new deal has been agreed upon yet.

48. Did Malkin Score Goal of the Year?

This beautiful goal by Evgeni Malkin will be hard to top in the NHL's final two months of the regular season.

47. Is Parenteau Going to Sign?

P.A. Parenteau decided not to approach contract discussions this season, citing the Islanders' possible playoff contention (the Islanders were six points out of the eighth spot at the time).

The Islanders now have the third-fewest points in the conference and are sure to miss the playoffs. Is Parenteau now focusing on missing the playoffs, or is he ready to discuss his future with the Islanders?

46. Will This Be the Fight of the Year?

This fight between Jay Rosehill and Brian McGrattan took place in November, but no fight has been better since.

McGrattan is the NHL's best fighter right now.

Rosehill was involved in an excellent toe-to-toe fight last season as well.

45. Will Hurricanes Re-Sign Bryan Allen?

The Hurricanes, expected to trade Tim Gleason and Tuomo Ruutu prior to the trade deadline, did neither.

Gleason and Ruutu were given contract extensions despite Carolina's position as a non-playoff team. Bryan Allen is also an upcoming free agent without a contract.

44. Which Sedin Scores More?

In the 2009-10 season, Henrik Sedin led the NHL in points. Last season, his twin brother Daniel did.

This year, neither are likely to be atop the points lead, but it should be interesting to see who totals more. Henrik has a three-point lead at the moment.

43. Will Steve Downie Be Worth Giving Up Kyle Quincey?

In a three-team deal, the Colorado Avalanche lost defenseman Kyle Quincey while picking up the energetic Steve Downie from Tampa Bay.

Downie is a hard hitter who racks up penalty minutes, but also shows other helpful assets in his game.

42. What Does Phoenix Have to Do to Get Fans in Their Arena?

The Coyotes are third in the Western Conference standings, but are the only NHL team to average below 12,000 fans per game.

41. Playoff Hockey in Winnipeg?

It has been 16 years since the NHL playoffs took place in Winnipeg.

The Jets currently hold the eighth playoff spot in the east.

40. Will Young Flyers Team Last?

Eight different rookies have scored their first career NHL goal with the Philadelphia Flyers this season.

Lineup regulars Matt Read, Sean Couturier, Brayden Schenn and Zac Rinaldo are all in their first NHL season. The Flyers have lots of veteran presence, but the burden of the first full season could hurt the younger members of the team.

39. Can Phoenix Get Their Power Play to Work?

Phoenix does not seem to understand what an advantage in numbers can do.

They have the NHL's worst power-play percentage at 13.44 and the fewest power-play goals at 25.

The second-worst team are the Canadiens, who have won eight less games than the Coyotes.

38. Can Buffalo Get Back into a Playoff Position?

After Buffalo went on a stretch of three wins in 17 games, the team started playing better. In their next 14 games, the team has only three regulation losses.

The team is still more than two wins out of a playoff position in a tight race, but could certainly get back to where they've been for the past two seasons.

37. Who Wins the William Jennings Trophy?

While the Vezina Trophy is given to the NHL's top goaltender, the William Jennings Trophy is stat-based.

It is awarded to the goaltenders who have played at least 25 games for the NHL team with the fewest goals against.

Right now, the Blues have the fewest goals allowed per game, meaning the trophy would be shared by Brian Elliot and Jaroslav Halak.

The Rangers are in second, which would make Henrik Lundqvist the winner.

The Los Angeles Kings are close enough to be mentioned at third, but will likely not challenge the Blues or Rangers.

36. Who Wins the Rookie Scoring Race?

This season is the source of many strong Calder Trophy candidates.

While the highest point total does not guarantee victory regarding the award, those in the running should be noted.

Adam Henrique of New Jersey leads with 41 points. Gabriel Landeskog of Colorado is second with 38.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of Edmonton, the first pick in the 2011 entry draft, is third with 36, but has played in just 41 games.

35. Will Red Wings Continue Home Dominance?

The Detroit Red Wings set an NHL record with 23 consecutive wins at home.

Detroit's performance at the Joe Louis Arena is historically impressive, they are 26-5 this season.

However, they have lost their last two home games.

34. Can Detroit Win on the Road?

Along with the Red Wings' great home record comes a mediocre road record of 15-17.

The 10th-placed team in the West, Colorado, has the same road record.

Though Detroit will have home-ice advantage for much of the playoffs, they will need to win on the road in order to be successful.

33. Should Nashville Have Traded Shea Weber or Ryan Suter?

Nashville is almost certain to be unable to afford re-signing both Shea Weber and Ryan Suter this offseason.

Neither upcoming free agent was traded this season, meaning the Predators are putting hope into a long playoff run. Otherwise, they would have traded one of the defensemen for valuable long-term assets.

If they don't make a deep playoff run, it could be considered a poor decision.

32. Does Alex Ovechkin Still Exist?

Remember that time Alex Ovechkin was one of the world's top players? The four-time 100-plus-point scorer is not even a point-per-game player this season.

Ovechkin has nine points in his last nine games and could be ready to showcase his former self again.

31. Will the Flyers Realize Wells Fargo Center Is Their Home Arena?

Only two teams have fewer wins at home than the Philadelphia Flyers, who coincidentally have the NHL's highest average percent capacity attendance this season.

30. Will Flyers' Defensive Pickups Pan Out?

The Flyers did not add a big name defenseman prior to this trade deadline, but the team did add two huge defensemen.

The 6'3", 230-pound Nicklas Grossman and 6'4", 260-pound Pavel Kubina were picked up in order to help fix the Flyers' issues with clearing the net.

The team has won two of the three games played with the two big men in the lineup.

29. Do Sharks Have What It Takes?

For the past seven seasons, the San Jose Sharks have been dominant in the regular season, only to fade away when the playoffs come.

This season, the Sharks are among the bottom half of the West's playoff teams. They have been bad as of late, having lost nine of their last 12 games.

They may not even make it far enough to be eliminated in the playoffs if they continue to struggle.

28. Will Teemu Selanne Play His Last Game?

Teemu Selanne, despite being 41 years old, is still among the NHL's most productive scorers, leading the Ducks with 53 points.

If this is the end of his amazing career, Selanne has made quite a case for the Hall of Fame.

27. Will Blue Jackets Improve or Decline?

Columbus' aggressive moves in the offseason (acquiring Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski) did not work out.

They sit in sole position of the worst record in the NHL. Their trading of Carter to Los Angeles for Jack Johnson was not a move to turn their season around, but it should be interesting to see how the new makeup affects their immediate performance.

It shouldn't get any worse.

26. Will the Canadiens Stay at the Bottom of the East?

Montreal has now surpassed Carolina as having the fewest points in the Eastern Conference. While Carolina has been to the playoffs once since 2006, it is a bit more of a surprise for the Canadiens.

Montreal has made the playoffs the last four seasons. This could be their worst season since before the lockout.

25. Can the Flyers Beat the Rangers?

The New York Rangers are 5-0 against their hated rival Philadelphia Flyers this season, highlighted by a 3-2 victory at the 2012 NHL Winter Classic.

The teams meet once more this season, April 3rd in Philadelphia.

24. Will Nail Yakupov Retain His Spot as the No. 1 Prospect?

In January, the ISS ranked Mikhail Grigorenko ahead of Nail Yakupov in the 2012 NHL draft prospect rankings.

The latest rankings have Yakupov back on top, but he will have to work hard to maintain his position there.

23. Can Brodeur Have a Renaissance?

Martin Brodeur was having a forgettable season up until recent times.

Since giving up three goals on 26 shots to the Rangers on January 31, Brodeur is 7-2 with a .935 save percentage and 1.76 goals-against average.

22. Do the Blackhawks Have Sufficient Goaltending?

Chicago's tandem of Corey Crawford and Ray Emery is anything but impressive for the playoff-bound Blackhawks.

Crawford and Emery have a combined save percentage of .901 and a goals-against average of 2.84.

That's almost as bad as (but far cheaper) the Philadelphia Flyers' set of goalies.

21. Can Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul Keep Toronto in the Hunt?

Kessel and Lupul are both having the best seasons of their careers; they've both already set highs for point totals.

The Maple Leafs are going to need all the help they can get, they are currently three points out of a playoff spot.

20. Will Jimmy Howard Return to Pre-Injury Form?

The Red Wings' goalie missed most of February with a broken finger.

He has not won since returning to the lineup. The All-Star's play is one of the reasons Detroit is doing so well this year, but he has not been as sharp since the injury.

19. Will Injured Bruins Offense Be Able to Keep It Going?

The defending Stanley Cup champions are without two prominent forwards, Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley.

Losing these two productive scorers leaves a void on the offense, requiring other forwards to step up and keep the Bruins atop their division.

18. Will Rangers Regret Not Picking Up a Big Scorer at the Deadline?

The Rangers have the NHL's top point percentage with 84 points in 60 games played.

Though prominent in trade rumors regarding Columbus' high scoring Rick Nash, it does not seem like the Rangers will be acquiring him at this point.

New York has been successful with a stellar defensive approach, thanks to the help of likely Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist and a ton of shot blocking.

However, the team has an average offense. If someone is able to get through Lundqvist, the Rangers may not have a dangerous enough answer on the offensive side.

17. Will Sens Be OK Without Craig Anderson?

The Ottawa Senators' starting goaltender will be out with a severed finger tendon. The team's backup, Alex Auld, will be joined by recently-acquired Ben Bishop.

The Senators are in playoff position right now, but that might be at risk without Anderson.

16. Will Rangers Keep Top Spot in the East?

The Rangers are sitting atop the Eastern Conference in points, but the Bruins are close behind.

It will take a lot for the Bruins to overtake New York, but teams go on streaks and the two could definitely switch positions.

15. Luongo or Schneider?

There are times this season when Cory Schneider has outplayed starter Roberto Luongo.

Luongo proved last season that he cannot come through when it matters, as he blew up in the Stanley Cup Finals as the Boston Bruins won the series.

Do the Canucks risk riding Luongo again, or do they give their quality backup more time as the season goes on?

14. Will Panthers Collapse?

The Panthers had a very strong start to the season, and were among the Eastern Conference's top teams.

However, the team now barely clings to the Southeast division lead. If they do not maintain that spot, they could miss the playoffs entirely with Winnipeg and Washington close behind.

They have lost four of their last five games.

13. Are the St. Louis Blues Serious?

The Blues only need to win 25 percent of their remaining games to have the franchise's highest point total since 2002-03.

The franchise that has never won a Stanley Cup is appearing to be in definite contention.

12. Will Florida Find Secondary Scoring?

The Panthers' top line of Kris Versteeg, Tomas Fleischmann and Stephan Weiss has been carrying the team this season.

The team's top three scorers account for more than one-third of the team's goals scored.

If the Panthers get into the playoffs, they will not go deep without another line stepping up.

11. Who Will Win the Art Ross?

Early in the season, Philadelphia's Claude Giroux and Toronto's Phil Kessel were dominating the NHL's scoring race.

Then, Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin found his way into the picture and has taken over the top spot.

Malkin and Giroux are tops in points-per-game, but Steven Stamkos is close, having played more games. Any of the three players could lead in points at the end of the season.

10. Will the Blues Pick a Goalie?

All-Star Brian Elliot has been sharing the net with Jaroslav Halak all season. The tandem has helped the Blues to one of the NHL's best records.

Each goalie has played in at least 30 games, has six shutouts, a goals-against average under 2.00 and a save percentage about .920.

Will they continue alternating through the playoffs or pick one of the two?

9. Who Will Win the Rocket Richard?

This is more clear-cut than the points competition. Steven Stamkos has a sizable lead over Evgeni Malkin, but both are significantly ahead of the rest of the NHL.

Stamkos has the most goals of any NHL player since the start of the 2009-10 season.

8. Will Jeff Carter Boost the Kings Offense?

Los Angeles had the NHL's worst offense prior to acquiring Jeff Carter.

The former 46-goal scorer could turn around the team's offense, or could continue to be a disappointment.

He has not been close to the production of that 46-goal season since.

7. Will Mike Richards and Jeff Carter Focus More on Hockey This Time?

Mike Richards recently accused Philadelphia media of making up stories.

They also must have photoshopped the pictures of Richards and Carter which made the two seem more like frat boys than the faces of an NHL franchise.

The exact reasoning behind their trades out of Philadelphia has never been explained, but if Flyers GM Paul Holmgren had off-ice reasons for his moves, the Kings are sure to find out about them soon.

6. Will Ilya Bryzgalov Pull It Together?

Ilya Bryzgalov has not been worth the $5.6 million cap hit he's costing the Flyers in space for the next nine years.

Bryzgalov's .898 save percentage and 2.82 goals-against average make him seem more like a glorified backup than a former Vezina Trophy candidate.

The Flyers are going to need consistent goaltending if they are to make a serious playoff run. That's why they signed Bryzgalov. He'll need to come through.

5. Who Will Get the Last Spot in the East?

Four teams—the Florida Panthers, Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs—are within five points of spots seven through 10.

It will be very interesting to see how this playoff race winds down.

4. Who Will Get the Last Spot in the West?

The Western Conference's seven through 11th spots are separated by just four points. It is an even more intense race than the East.

3. Who Will Win the President's Trophy?

Four teams are currently in serious contention for finishing with the top points total in the NHL: Vancouver, Detroit, St. Louis and the Rangers.

2. Will Sidney Crosby Play?

Both head and neck injuries have kept Sidney Crosby to just eight games played this season.

One of the NHL's premier players, if Crosby can return he will certainly bolster an already excellent Pittsburgh Penguins team.

Will the Coyotes Sale Be Completed?

The Coyotes could be staying in Phoenix if a potential sale goes through.

Greg Jamison, a former San Jose Sharks CEO, is close to a deal with the NHL.

If the Coyotes are kept in Phoenix, fans in Quebec City and other areas will have to wait for their franchise (unlike Winnipeg, who hit the lottery with the movement of the Atlanta Thrashers last summer).

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B/R Featured Columnist Jason Sapunka is available on Twitter.

Follow @moreSapunka