from Emily Kaplan of ESPN,

It's all shaping up to be an exciting second half, but surely you, the fan, have some lingering questions. Behold, some answers.

How does the league feel about where things are as the second half begins?

Cautiously optimistic. The NHL had to postpone more than 100 games (and reschedule 25 more) in a challenging stretch. The league trudged on, and at its most stressful moment, started its Christmas break early to give everyone a reset. All but one player in the NHL is fully vaccinated -- Detroit's Tyler Bertuzzi remains the only holdout -- while league sources have insisted a "large portion" of players and coaches have also been boosted. (The NHL and NHLPA don't intend to mandate a booster shot this season.) Because of that, and while projecting declining numbers as we exit cold and flu season, the NHL and NHLPA decided to stop regular testing for asymptomatic players after the All-Star break. In conjunction, the league also did away with its temporary taxi squads, meaning the NHL and NHLPA feel confident they won't need to reschedule many more games, if any at all.

read on for 19 more questions, mostly on players and teams...