If you could fix one thing about the NHL, what would it be?

[Run the Jewels]

So let's say you were given full control to change one thing about the NHL and it would go into effect into perpetuity beginning next season. What would you choose to change about the league?

General explanation of choices:

1. Fix point system/get rid of OT during the regular season.

• No OT option: go with soccer style point system: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie.
• IIHF point system if you want to keep OT (3pts, 2pts, 1pt)
• Would screw up historical point totals, but Gary has already destroyed most of what made the league interesting.

2. No more salary cap.

• Fairly self explanatory, teams can spend as much as they like.
• I thought about including contraction, but this would be a natural outcome of removing spending caps.

3. Remove the draft lottery

• Draft in order of where team finished the season.
• If you prefer the "Gold Plan" that would fit here.
• Gets rid of dumb lottery gimmick, but right after Detroit put up with that crap and is likely done with it for a long time.

4. Ref the games the way the IIHF does

• No swallowing the whisitle. A penalty is a penalty, regardless of game state.
• Also follow more stringent rules on headshots.

I'm open to other ideas, so if you have one please comment and I will add it to the poll if I think it fits the general spirit of the poll.

 

[stillwater]

1

Even though the 3-3 is fun to watch, it's a ridiculous way to end an NHL game. No more 3 on 3, no more shootouts. 3 pts for a win, 1 point for a tie. Historical totals are not a good reason not to do this.

 

[stillwater]

Also, eliminate the counting of "hits" and replace it with a counting of "spits".

 

[HisNoodliness]

No more shoot-outs. I don't care if you go to ties. I don't care if you keep playing 3 on 3. Start with 4 on 4 if you want. Whatever. I want penalty shots to be special again and I really feel shootout wins are unearned.

 

[Oddbob]

No loser pt and you only get 2 pts for any win at any time. 0 pts to the loser, regardless how it happened. In the playoffs a loss is a loss, the regular season should be the same.

 

[Retire91]

Always been against the loser point it impacts standings more than I think anyone realizes and it does not represent the better team.
The draft lottery has gotten out of hand. It's not working. They have fought tanking to the degree that it is a net loss for all rebuilding teams. Quit tweaking it and just get rid of it, if a team wants to tank so be it.
Reintroduce two line pass. The game IMO is too fast now. I feel like its lost much of the artistry and strategy and is now like an arcade style run and gun.
I think the league has done more than I expected to curb headshots but I think they should go further. If you injure someone with a cheap shot that results in suspension I think you should be suspended for as long as the person you injured is out. You take someone out for the season will guess what your season is done too now.. Take the cheapshot artists completely out of the game.

I like the salary cap I think it has been a net positive but they keep increasing it so not sure if its really still doing as much as it was supposed to.

Nothing is a deal breaker though still the greatest game on earth.

 

[Realgud]

No more game management and call the rule book like the IIHF does, regular season or playoffs.

 

[Run the Jewels]

No more game management and call the rule book like the IIHF does, regular season or playoffs.

Added IIHF suggestion. Thanks.

 

[Run the Jewels]

I think the league has done more than I expected to curb headshots but I think they should go further. If you injure someone with a cheap shot that results in suspension I think you should be suspended for as long as the person you injured is out. You take someone out for the season will guess what your season is done too now.. Take the cheapshot artists completely out of the game.

I would consider this part of reffing like IIHF does and no swallowing the whistle. If there's more interest in specifically addressing headshots I will add it as an option. Good suggestion.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

About the only one I’d be ok with keeping is the salary cap. But no more signing LTIR contracts to get up to the cap floor. Funny how that kind of cap circumvention has been tolerated.

Serious question: does any other professional sport have moving ads on the field of play during game play?

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Refs actually ref.

Also fire Bettman.

 

[RED WINGS STOMP]

Some sort of challenge system on penalties.

Basically something that allows for endings like the one at the stadium series this year, not to happen.

I feel that change would also make the refs be more honest in making correct calls and stop the foolish game management BS they like to pull.

Also, allow for a video offical to add on or take off penalties during a scrum in which the on ice official has already called at least one penalty. It is too hard for the on ice guys to catch everything in these instances. Will force dirty teams to clean up their act.

 

[saska sault]

- 3 points regulation win, 2 overtime/SO win, 1 SO/overtime loss
- No exiting the zone with possesion/back passing during OT or it is a loss of possession
- Less penalties during regular season (the soft calls that change outcomes of a game via PP is disgusting to me)/more consistent standards during playoffs (if they are putting the whistle away game 1, period 1... it should be the same through the series)
- One extra roster player per team, up to team to decide if they want a 3rd goalie, extra D, extra F
- Remove trapezoid, goalies exit crease to play puck (not for a save)... they are fair game to fair body contact.
- Introduce WC round similar to NBA. The parity around the league is real, a team like Detroit vs Montreal for a one game winner goes on type tournament would stop tanking and encourage teams to push for a spot more often IMO
- Not sure how... but close LTIR loopholes where guys miss most of the season and their team gets salary cap space only for that player to magically return game 1 of the playoffs. Maybe some threshold of returning during regular season for X amount of time or ineligible until round 2.

 

[SirloinUB]

Gimme the Gold rule for the draft lottery.

 

[FMichael]

'Other'

No ads on jerseys/helmets.

 

[JohanFranzenstein]

1-8 conference seeding for playoffs, no more Wild Card. But, make it 1 seed against 2, 3 against 4, etc. The matchups are closer in the beginning of playoffs, and get more interesting the further they go.

 

[norrisnick]

Call the rule book. Use robo-refs if need be. But score, who is home/away, period, time in period, and part of the season should never factor into what is and is not a penalty.

 

[Steve91]

That absolutely ridiculous helmet rule. Not even because we got ravaged by it this year, but are we really never to witness a coast to coast, beautiful, lettuce ripping in the wind, bucketless goal ever again?

 

[Big Poppa Puck]

Seed the conferences 1-8 by total points and re-seed in the next round. No inter-divisional tournament bracket crap.

My 2nd choice would be to go to a NFL style draft. And I only say that cause while I don't like the loser point, short of bringing back ties (Don't mind ties actually) I don't have a better solution (3,2,1 system maybe?)

I always hated the trapezoid too.

 

[SoupGuru]

Maybe not the most pressing thing but I hate that defenders are allowed to get their stick pinned between the opposing player and the boards and are allowed to hold on to it. You basically have the guy all wrapped up and pinned and immovable but for some reason it's not holding.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

That absolutely ridiculous helmet rule. Not even because we got ravaged by it this year, but are we really never to witness a coast to coast, beautiful, lettuce ripping in the wind, bucketless goal ever again?

It's so the NHL can pretend it's doing something to protect players brains, while also doing virtually nothing to actually punish headshots.

 

[Sadekuuro]

Game management, ads everywhere, constant gambling tie-ins. I guess that's three things but do away with those and all else is negotiable (though I would prefer a more physical game again).

 

[tabness]

Just pretty much go back to how it was in the nineties except bring some super head injury preventing mouthguards or helmets or something

 

[youknow]

Refs actually ref.

Also fire Bettman.

This ^^^

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I want the three point system they use for the IIHF. 3 for the regulation win, 2 overtime or shootout, 1 overtime or shoot out loss.

Second one and at this point it is running close to the 3 point system after a decade of the lottery is implementation of the Gold Plan for the draft order.

If I had a third one and this will be unpopular, but do away with the wildcard. The entire point of this playoff system when proposed was to play in division and crown your champ at the end of round two, letting the NHLPA switch to the wildcard makes it worse. I don't care if a division is top heavy, let them keep building on the hate for each other like in the 80s. Top 4 play no shifting teams around.