As is usual with the NHL general managers’ meetings they discussed possible rule changes for next year. The next step is for the Competition Committee to send them to the Board of Governors for approval. There doesn’t seem to be any major changes in store, as Gary Bettman said, the game’s in pretty good shape.
First up would be a new coach’s challenge. If a penalty is called for a puck over the glass, a coach can challenge if the puck hit anything on the way out. If he’s right, no penalty. If he’s wrong, then his team will have to kill off a 5-on-3. There’s nothing NHL coaches like more than gambling!
There are some more proposed rule changes about where face-offs can take place and giving back-up goalies a chance to warm up if they enter a game because the starter was removed by concussion spotters.
One change was immediately implemented. Players are no longer allowed to sit on the boards and dangle a leg over the ice while waiting to change lines on the fly. A warning will be issued to a team the first time it happens, if it happens again, a penalty will be assessed. Part of the reason this rule was implemented so quickly was because a linesman was cut by a skate in a recent Wild-Jets games.
Also, in that linked Bettman video the commissioner cooled the talk about expansion. While he acknowledged a lot of interest, there are no “short-term” plans to expand the NHL.
Other Hockey News
Chris Simon passes away at age 52 [RMNB]
A Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche, Simon also helped take the Washington Capitals to the Finals in 1998. Over 15 years in the league, Simon played in 782 games for 7 different teams and amassed 1,824 penalty minutes along with 305 points (144 goals, 161 assists).
George Parros: ‘I take more beatings now than I ever did on the ice’ [TSN]
George Parros pulled back the curtain on one of the most unenviable jobs in sports for the general managers. Believe it or not, they are striving for consistency. Don’t feel the need to Tweet them whenever a bad hit happens in the game. There is a 100% chance they’ve already seen it.
NHL Center Tiers [The Athletic]
Brayden Point ends up in their second tier – the “Cup Guys”. I can’t really disagree with that. Here is what they had to say,
“Ahead of the season, we wondered if Point wasn’t the best of the Crosby/Eichel/Barkov group; a 51-goal season, combined with his history of playoff dominance, was tough to ignore. We decided not to move him up, and that seems to be the right decision. It’s not that Point has fallen off in 2023-24 all that much; a 90-point season remains highly possible. His defensive numbers remain relatively shaky, though, and he’s again the second-best player on his line, thanks to Nikita Kucherov.”
For the record, their top tier consisted of Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, and Connor McDavid.
Every team’s toughest free agent decision [Bleacher Report]
Yup. It’s Steven Stamkos.
Alex Ovechkin becomes the third player to reach 20 goals in 19 straight seasons [ESPN]
All of a sudden Ovechkin has remembered how to score goals. He scored twice against the Flames to bring his career total to 843 and now has 12 goals in his last 20 games.
Rick Bowness sidelined after minor medical procedure [Winnipeg Sun]
Scott Arniel will take over behind the bench during Bowness’ leave of absence for his undisclosed ailment. Arniel, the Jets’ associate coach, assumed the same role earlier in the season when Bowness left to assist his wife who had suffered a seizure.
Konstantin Koltsov passes away [Pensburgh]
The former Penguin, a first-round pick in 1999, passed away at the age of 42.
