Nash Daily: Several Rule Changes Proposed at NHL GM Meetings

Many of the NHL’s general managers believe the league’s rule book needs some minor tweaking, prompting several rule change proposals Tuesday at the annual GM meetings at Eau Palm Beach resort in Manalapan, Florida.

Among the proposed changes are expanding the coach’s challenge to include delay of game, high-sticking minor and pucks-over-the-glass penalties, allowing goaltenders to be penalized for inadvertently knocking the net off its pegs, and allowing backup goaltenders to warm up if the starter is removed by a concussion spotter, among others.

Altering the coach’s challenge would allow teams to challenge only when a penalty is called. It wouldn’t permit coaches to challenge when they believe a penalty should have been called.

If a goaltender is penalized for knocking his net off the pegs, a faceoff would take place in the defensive zone with the attacking team choosing which side to take the draw from. The NHL reveled there were 102 instances of a net displacement because of goalies last season.

Additionally, it was also proposed that if play is stopped because a goaltender loses his mask, the play results in an offensive-zone faceoff for the other team, and that players are shouldn’t be permitted to sit on the boards with their feet hanging over while waiting for a line change (the new proposal states players would get a warning first and if they don’t comply a bench minor would be assessed).

Nashville Hockey Now

The Predators defense was dealt another blow Tuesday morning when the team announced Jeremy Lauzon was week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

With Dante Fabbro and Spencer Stastney nursing upper-body injuries, the Predators recalled Marc Del Gaizo from the Milwaukee Admirals. It’s his second NHL stint after skating in five games in early November.

Central Division Standings

1. Winnipeg Jets | 44-19-5, 93 points
2. Colorado Avalanche | 44-20-5, 93 points
3. Dallas Stars | 41-19-9, 91 points
4. Nashville Predators | 40-25-4, 84 points
5. Minnesota Wild | 34-28-8, 76 points
6. St. Louis Blues | 36-29-3, 75 points
7. Arizona Coyotes | 28-35-5, 61 points
8. Chicago Blackhawks | 19-44-5, 43 points

Wild Card Standings

1. Nashville Predators | 40-25-4, 84 points
2. Vegas Golden Knights | 36-25-7, 79 points
3. Minnesota Wild | 34-28-8, 76 points
4. St. Louis Blues | 36-29-3, 75 points

Around the NHL and National Hockey Now

Sidney Crosby is on track to match Wayne Gretzky as the only players in NHL history to accomplish this rare feat (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

The San Jose Sharks are loaded with plenty of top, young talent. The SJHN podcast ranks its top 10 Sharks prospects (San Jose Hockey Now)

It’s not often that Ryan Reeves is on the losing end of a fight. He and Nick Deslauriers got into an entertaining scrap that ended with Reeves on the ice (Philly Hockey Now)

Ilya Sorokin is one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, but he’s having a down season by his standards, and Islanders head coach Patrick Roy isn’t afraid to call him out publicly because of it (NYI Hockey Now)

Follow Michael Gallagher on X/Twitter @MGsports_

Be sure to follow Nashville Hockey Now on X/Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.