Possible Future NHL Rule Changes, What do you think?

The NHL is condering making Rule changes (or at least experimenting with them.) The camp to test them will be composed of draft eligible Junior players and will give scouts a chance to see them as well as test diffrent rule changes.

Tese are the rule changes that will be tested at camp Shannahan:

1. Hybrid Icing: A "hybrid" of no touch icing and touch icing. During a potential icing, the linesman, by the time the first man reaches the face off dot, will determine which player would reach the puck first. If it is determined to be the attacking player, icing is waved off. If it is the defending player, icing is blown immediately. (Tie goes to the defender) It basically enables on-ice officials to whistle the play dead avoiding a dangerous collision at the end boards.

This is a good rule but I don't know if the linesman in todays NHL have the mental capacity to make those calls.

2. No Change after Off Side: A team that has been ruled off side, shall not be permitted to make any player substitutions prior to the ensuing face-off.

Thats dumb, why punish a team for an offense that is usually an accident, That to me is very stupid.

3.  Crease Reset Rule: If an attacking player establishes a significant presence in the goal crease or if an attacking player physically or visually prevents the goal keeper from defending his goal while standing in the goal crease, play shall be blown dead and the face off will be at the nearest Neutral Zone face off spot.

Battles in front of the net are part of the game, the NHL is a mans sport and this would cause a lot of momentum halting stoppages and take offense out of the game, I don't think the referees are smart enough to call this rule correctly, Players like "Big Buff" or Thomas Holmstrom wouldn't be as useful and this rule to me is too gray and too gay to call, It would ruin the game.

4. Face-Off Variation: After both centermen take their appropriate positions, the puck will be placed on the face off dot and the face off will commence on the official's whistle.

This makes faceoffs more fair and consistent among linesman but physics would prevent a lot of these draws from being won clean and the momentum from a puck drop is a big part of a clean faceoff.  

5. Overtime: The length of the overtime period will be increased to nine total minutes. (Three segments lasting three minutes each.) The segments will start with 4 on 4 play, go down to 3 on 3 and ultimately finishing with 2 on 2.

It makes sense but I don't wan't to see a half the value of a game in the standings decided by a 2 on 2 goal.

6. Shootout: 5 Players from each team shall participate in the Shoot Out and they shall proceed in such order as the coach selects. After each team has taken 5 shots, if the score remains tied, the shoot out will proceed to a "sudden death" format. No player may shoot twice until everyone who is eligible has shot.

I think 5 shots would make a shootout win seem more worthy of an extra point, as much as I hate the shootout this would make it more worthy of 2 points in the standings, but there are a lot of shootouts that last this long anyway and I don't feel any better about them.

7. The shallow net: Features a 40" inch deep frame compared to the 44" inch frame that we currently use.

This would help with wraparounds and doesn't ruin anything so why not.

8. The crease: The crease will be used in this session is enlarged proportionally in all directions 3" inches.

This will help protect the goalie, Pascal Leclaire will like it.

9. Verification line: The Verification Line is a yellow line parallel to the goal line, set back slightly more than 3" inches (size of the puck) from the goal line. The verification line will aide the off ice officials during goal reviews when trying to determine if the puck has crossed the goal line. In the event there is something (water bottle, glove, pad, etc) blocking the view of the goal line, this line could be used to "verify" that the puck has completely crossed the goal line. (The line is slightly further back than the size of the puck, therefore if the puck is in contact with it, a goal would be awarded)

I love this rule, it is very useful as long as the verification line is only inside the net and not on the goal line.

10. Blue lines that are twice as wide as usual: (24" rather than 12"). The inner edge, or D-zone edge, remains in the same spot.

Easier to hold the puck in, this makes for a better pressure game.

11. Line Change Zone in front of bench: This is a shaded area painted on the ice that extends 5' feet out for the length of the players benches. Fewer too many men calls, Clouston could sure use it.

12. Three Faceoff Circles: One in the middle of each zone: There are two potential benefits to the relocation of the face off circles. Generally, this may move play back to the middle of the ice & away from the periphery. It is also an effort to limit whistles. It's believed that teams may keep play moving rather than have a face off right in front of their own net.

Too much change to something that isn't broken, I like the rink dimensions as they are. Sean Ramjagsingh has worked hard to make NHL 11 and all these rules would ruin that game.

The NHLs attempt to limit whistles is stupid, I don't pay 50 dollars a night to see a game go by so fast. Appeasing to the "American Joe" is impossible and shows how ignorant the NHL is to it's Canadian fanbase. I don't see the NFL doing stuff like this. The NHl game is fine the way it is.