Welcome to another edition of NHL Notebook, where we take a look at current events across the league.

A pair of superstars will be missing a key week of the regular season, while expansion talks may be ramping up again. Let’s get right into it!

During the stretch run of the regular season, the Edmonton Oilers will be without their two superstars, potentially for a week or more.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are both considered day-to-day, and head coach Kris Knoblauch indicated that they are both likely out for a week.

McDavid and Draisaitl underwent imaging Friday, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports. It’s possible that the Oilers may elect to load manage their superstars with 13 games remaining before the playoffs.

Edmonton trails the Vegas Golden Knights by three points for the Pacific Division lead prior to Saturday’s games. The good news for the Oilers is that there will be plenty of time for McDavid and Draisaitl to rest, as the team takes on the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, then have an extended break before playing a back-to-back against the Dallas Stars, and Kraken, on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has seemingly been opposed to further expansion, but if past history indicates anything, this may be a temporary stance. Dan Friedkin, an American billionaire has reportedly expressed strong interest in bringing an NHL team to Houston, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported Friday. Friedkin’s company, The Friedkin Group, owns the Serie A football club AS Roma and Premier League side Everton, so a new hockey team would only expand his sports portfolio.

Bettman has appeared categorically opposed to expanding past 32 teams, but his legacy project has arguably been the expansion of hockey to non-traditional markets in the United States and Friedkin’s capital, along with his extensive, aggressive portfolio of other teams may be too difficult for the league to resist.