{"id":155741,"date":"2025-08-18T12:46:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T12:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/155741\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T12:46:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T12:46:17","slug":"fix-the-nhl-draft-non-standard-rinks-fun-uniforms-3-point-games-and-relegation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/155741\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Fix The NHL\u2019 draft: Non-standard rinks, fun uniforms, 3-point games \u2014 and relegation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sean McIndoe, Shayna Goldman, Mark Lazerus and Rob Rossi<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today, four of us are going to fix the NHL. Or at least, we\u2019re going to try. And then you\u2019re going to tell us who did the best job.<\/p>\n

Oh, you don\u2019t think the NHL needs any fixing? The league, as currently run, is just about perfect? Cool, always fun to meet a satisfied customer. This post isn\u2019t for you \u2014 feel free to click back and find something else Gary \u2026er, random reader.<\/p>\n

For the rest of us, who believe there\u2019s always room for improvement: Welcome to the Fix the NHL draft.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it will work.<\/b> Four of us \u2014 Mark, Shayna, Sean and Rob \u2014 will take turns drafting ideas to improve the NHL. Those ideas can be big or small. They can involve the rulebook, the CBA or just about anything else. The only real rule here is that the picks have to be specific, tangible changes that are at least theoretically possible, even if they may not be especially realistic. \u201cIncrease scoring\u201d might be a worthy objective, but it\u2019s not a fix \u2014 but \u201cmake the nets bigger\u201d might be. \u201cMake more money\u201d is a goal; \u201cput another team in Toronto\u201d is a fix. \u201cMake the in-arena experience more enjoyable\u201d is too broad, but \u201cfire anyone who bangs on the glass into the sun\u201d could work. You get the picture.<\/p>\n

In essence, each of our drafters has been told to pretend that they woke up today as the NHL\u2019s new commissioner, with almost unlimited power to make five specific changes. We\u2019re doing a five-round draft, snake-style. And at the end, you can vote on whose group of five ideas you like best.<\/p>\n

Round 1<\/p>\n

Pick 1.1. Mark takes:<\/b> Ditch the standard 200 x 85 rink<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never been more stressed about a draft pick than this one, because I feel like I\u2019m setting the tone here. How seriously are we taking this enterprise? Because I could sit here and scream for the 137th time that the NHL should adopt a 3-2-1 point system or poach the PWHL\u2019s jailbreak goal or make all minors two-minute majors. Those changes are obvious and correct and worthy. But what fun are they? No, with the first overall pick, I\u2019m creating a true home-ice advantage by drafting baseball\u2019s field-dimension variability.<\/p>\n

In baseball, a team can build a deeper ballpark because they favor pitching in the draft and free agency, and the Yankees can have a Little League right-field porch because they favor left-handed power hitters, and a team can grow its infield grass an extra inch or two because its pitching staff is composed mainly of ground-ball pitchers. Why can\u2019t hockey teams do that? Last change is nice and all, but let\u2019s create a real home-ice advantage.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re a speed team? Make the rink 20 feet longer so you have more room for separation. You\u2019re a defensive team? Make the rink international width to keep opposing forwards a mile from the net. If you have a Wayne Gretzky running the power play from behind the net, move the goal line out a little farther. Got a Cale Makar on the back end? Push back the blue line closer to center ice to give him more room to operate. And bring back the wonky Joe Louis Arena boards that only the Red Wings knew how to use. Come on, let\u2019s get weird. Let\u2019s get some character back into the buildings.<\/p>\n

One caveat: If Houston gets a team, no hills<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pick 1.2. Shayna takes:<\/b> Add one or two Designated Player tags<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about time star players get paid like the elite talents they are, without getting dragged through the mud for taking a pay bump in a cap world. Taking a page out of the footy\/soccer world and adding one or two designated player tags would help avoid that, by letting teams sign one or two contracts that don\u2019t count against the cap. There still have to be some boundaries \u2014 teams can only tag two players at a time, one homegrown talent and one free agent. And to ensure teams with deep pockets don\u2019t have a massive advantage, there should still be an upper limit. But this would put a new spin on team-building and help the league embrace the idea of franchise players.<\/p>\n

Pick 1.3. Sean takes:<\/b> Fix the standings<\/p>\n

The loser point made some small amount of sense when it arrived in 1999 as a way to discourage boring overtimes ending in ties. But once the shootout arrived, it served no purpose\u2026 other than artificially padding everyone\u2019s record, which has been the whole point for the last 20 years. (And no, it doesn\u2019t make playoff races closer<\/a>.) GMs win, with their fake .500 records. Fans lose, as third periods in close games turn into boring slogs between teams obviously playing for overtime.<\/p>\n

There are a few ways you could fix the standings, all of which would be massive improvements on the mess we have now. I\u2019m going with the 3-2-1-0 system, where teams get three points for a regulation win, two for an OT\/SO win, one for an OT\/SO loss and none for a regulation loss. That flips the script on third periods, encouraging teams to play for the win. It makes every game worth the same number of points, which feels obvious. And it doesn\u2019t make the playoff races any different, because unlike the NHL, I think fans are smart enough to handle some basic math.<\/p>\n

Pick 1.4. Rob takes:<\/b> Automatically review for offside on every goal<\/p>\n

How about we agree that the technology and manpower exists for the NHL to take a look at offside on every goal that is scored, and assign that task to employees in New York and Toronto. Just make reviewing for offside part of the process and take the challenge away from coaches.<\/p>\n

This happens with VAR in soccer. And while it does take a bit from the in-stadium celebratory experience, it also assures that every scoring play is legal and onside. If the aim is to get the call correct, get it correct every time \u2014 not just when a coach has a challenge available.<\/p>\n

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If every goal was automatically reviewed for offside, coach\u2019s challenges like this one from November 2024 would rarely be necessary. (Patrick Smith \/ Getty Images)Round 2<\/p>\n

Pick 2.1. Rob takes:<\/b> Fun with uniforms<\/p>\n

Hockey has the best jerseys, but the NHL prohibits anything fun from being done. So, let teams have four home games when they go for something different, create extra revenue in the process. A Penguins St. Patrick\u2019s Day jersey would sell well considering they usually play in Pittsburgh on the day of that holiday\u2019s parade. Plus, we need a Flames jersey themed for the annual Calgary Stampede.<\/p>\n

And while I\u2019m at it, players should be allowed to don gloves and skate boots that are different colors\/designs in all games.<\/p>\n

Ppick 2.2. Sean takes:<\/b> Extend overtime and reduce shootouts<\/p>\n

We all love three-on-three overtime. We all hate the shootout. Some problems are so simple, you wonder why the NHL can\u2019t figure it out.<\/p>\n

Unlike most issues facing the league, we can\u2019t blame this one on Bettman and the GMs. Apparently this is a player problem, with concerns over fatigue for the stars. I get that, but I\u2019ve also heard crazy rumors that teams have more than six players, and could use some of those other guys in overtime if they\u2019re that worried about wearing out their stars. It might even be fun to see some third-liners get their moment with lots of open ice.<\/p>\n

Make overtime 10 minutes. Almost every OT game will end with a (mostly) real hockey play. And the few that do go to shootout might feel novel again, instead of causing everyone to switch the channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pick 2.3. Shayna takes:<\/b> Reduce the schedule, add a play-in wild card<\/p>\n

One way to avoid extra wear-and-tear after (rightfully) expanding overtime? Reduce the regular season schedule (to 70ish games). Then, make up lost revenue with a play-in tournament.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m of the opinion that the playoff field should only include 16, but there can be a small expansion to decide which 16 teams make it. Seeds 1-6 should lock based on the regular season. To land in a wild card, there should be a three-game play-in of No. 7 vs. 10 and No. 8 vs. 9. That adds up to 12 more games to the schedule (at a higher price tag than the regular season). The new eighth seed then gets to play the conference leader, seven gets two (the other division winner), three versus four, and five versus six.<\/p>\n

Pick 2.4. Mark takes:<\/b> Create a Champions League-style global tournament<\/p>\n

When I was a kid, I never really rooted for Team USA in the Olympics. I rooted for Slovakia, because I rooted for Ziggy Palffy, my favorite Islanders player. Jingoism is fun and all, but a fan\u2019s true loyalty is to his or her NHL team, not his or her national team. So I\u2019ll piggy-back off Shayna\u2019s wise choice of cutting back the schedule, but instead of a play-in tournament, I want a UEFA Champions League or Club World Cup-style global midseason tournament between teams, not between countries.<\/p>\n

I want the Florida Panthers playing against Fr\u00f6lunda, the Edmonton Oilers playing against SKA St. Petersburg, the Dallas Stars playing against KalPa. And I want them to mean it. If the 4 Nations Face-Off showed us anything, it\u2019s that people are clamoring for high-quality international hockey. More than 100 million people watch the Champions League final every year. Maybe hockey can\u2019t quite chase those numbers, but they can sure get more than the 600,000 or so who watch a regular-season game on cable in the dog days of the season. Do this every other February instead of a World Cup in between Olympic years and NHL teams will see their national and international profiles \u2014 not to mention their bottom lines \u2014 skyrocket. Also, it\u2019d be fun as hell.<\/p>\n

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With 10 minutes of overtime, shootouts would be both rarer and more enjoyable as a novelty. (Stacy Revere \/ Getty Images)Round 3<\/p>\n

Pick 3.1. Mark takes:<\/b> Relegation<\/p>\n

I hate tanking. It\u2019s become a necessary evil in North American sports, particularly in a hard-cap league like the NHL, but it\u2019s also gross, cynical and, most gallingly, insulting to the fans who are asked to shell out nearly $1,000 to take a family of four to see one game of a franchise that\u2019s not even trying to win. And the only way to get tanking out of the game is to punish it with relegation instead of rewarding it with a generational draft pick. If the team you own or manage finishes 32nd or 31st in the league for two, three, four straight years, the team you own or manage doesn\u2019t deserve to be in the NHL. Full stop. Bring me the Hershey Bears for a year or two.<\/p>\n

Is this feasible? Not with the current affiliation agreements between the NHL and the AHL, and probably not with so many AHL rinks holding about as many fans as Mullett Arena did. So this would take some real doing from a logistics standpoint. But I also believe that if the punishment for finishing in the bottom four for three or four consecutive years was relegation (you\u2019ve really got to earn relegation in my NHL), it would never happen again. (For someone who doesn\u2019t watch soccer at all, I sure seem to like the way soccer works. Weird.)<\/p>\n

Pick 3.2. Shayna takes:<\/b> Add a weekly \u201cRedZone\u201d special<\/p>\n

With ESPN owning the rights to \u201cNFL RedZone,\u201d it\u2019s time for an NHL version. But first, there have to be scheduling changes.<\/p>\n

The \u201cRedZone\u201d day should be special and loaded up, so the rest of the week should get more balanced than the usual heavy Tuesday\/Thursday\/Saturday slates. That alone should increase viewership for casual fans, who generally can\u2019t watch as much due to overlap. Then the NHL needs to pick a day to own. Maybe it\u2019s Friday nights, or Saturdays after the college football season ends. The idea should be a time when people are able to stay up late and watch, or even at bars so this coverage can be aired and casual fans can see the most exciting elements of hockey.<\/p>\n

Pick 3.3. Sean takes:<\/b> Shooting the puck over the glass is icing now<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the dumbest minor penalty in the book. Even if you want to pretend that intentionally shooting the puck over the glass used to be common \u2014 I\u2019m old enough to know that it wasn\u2019t \u2014 the current rule just adds random power plays for clear accidents. It\u2019s inevitable that some day, one of those will come in overtime of a Game 7 and decide a series or even the final, at which point the league will swiftly kill it, just like they did for the skate-in-the-crease rule.<\/p>\n

Until then, try explaining to a new fan why shooting the puck into the stands over there is a penalty, but shooting it into the stand over there is fine, but shooting it down the ice is not fine but also not a penalty. From now on, shooting any puck directly into the crowd is the same as icing \u2014 defensive-zone faceoff with no line change. (And if it\u2019s clearly intentional, refs can still call delay of game, just like they always could before this dumb rule was introduced.)<\/p>\n

Pick 3.4. Rob takes:<\/b> Full time for power plays<\/p>\n

If an opposing player commits an infraction against Connor McDavid, make that player\u2019s team kill the full two minutes against the Oilers\u2019 power play even after a goal is scored. If Edmonton scores four goals in those two minutes \u2014 hey, that should make a player think twice before the next slash, hook, interference, whatever.<\/p>\n

Scoring will increase. So will tension. And no lead will ever feel safe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Connor McDavid and other offensive stars in the league could feast on a guaranteed two-minute power play. (Christian Petersen \/ Getty Images)Round 4<\/p>\n

Pick 4.1. Rob takes:<\/b> Equip all arenas with Canadian camera angles<\/p>\n

Any American fans who have watched a Canadian broadcast have quickly noticed NHL games look different when televised by our friends from the north. There\u2019s a reason for that; Canadian arenas have superior sightlines for cameras that deliver those moving images through the videoscope.<\/p>\n

The NHL should pay the cost (won\u2019t be cheap) to build similar sightlines into American arenas. This would offer American viewers a greater perspective of the speed and skill that wows a majority of casual fans the first time they attend an NHL game in person.<\/p>\n

Pick 4.2. Sean takes:<\/b> Institute the Gold Plan for determining draft order.<\/p>\n

If you root for a bad team, the end of the NHL season stinks. In theory, you\u2019ve traded away some veteran dead weight, clearing the way for some youth. The future is arriving. You want to see them do well. Except you don\u2019t, because you want your team to lose, because that\u2019s what the lottery incentivizes. So teams shut it down and stop trying, which not only makes the stretch run miserable for fans of those teams, it also risks screwing up the playoff races for the good ones.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a solution, it\u2019s called the Gold Plan, they already use it in other leagues<\/a>, and it\u2019s time to bring it to the NHL.<\/p>\n

Yes, there are objections. No, you\u2019re not the first one to think of them. Yes, I already shot them all down, almost a decade ago<\/a>. But most importantly: Yes, even if it\u2019s not perfect, the Gold Plan is way better than what we have now.<\/p>\n

Pick 4.3. Shayna takes:<\/b> Introduce jailbreak goals to end penalties<\/p>\n

I agree with Rob that there is a way to increase scoring in special-teams situations \u2026 but we need a different approach.<\/p>\n

How about scoring to actually kill a penalty, like the PWHL. Those goals get a massive pop. But unlike the PWHL, the players on the ice for the infraction don\u2019t have to stay on to start the penalty. It will make players like Brandon Hagel and Seth Jarvis even more important, and maybe encourage stars to play short-handed minutes.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s just one catch: this only applies to minor penalties (and double minors). With majors, it doesn\u2019t matter how many short-handed goals are scored \u2014 the full five minutes have to be served. That should help separate the severity of minors and majors a bit more, too.<\/p>\n

Pick 4.4. Mark takes:<\/b> End TV blackouts<\/p>\n

The NHL needs to put its product in front of as many eyeballs as possible. The best way to do that is to lift the archaic blackout restrictions that infuriate so many fans. If someone shells out the money for ESPN+ or NHL Center Ice, they should be able to watch every single NHL game, full stop. Especially their own team\u2019s. An unthinkable 56 percent of Blackhawks fans \u2014 not Chicagoans at large, but actual Blackhawks fans \u2014 say they won\u2019t have access to CHSN this season, according to our summer survey<\/a>. Ending the blackout restrictions \u2014 a relic of the past that makes no sense in a globalized age \u2014 would fix that, and at a far more reasonable price. Just about every team in the league would benefit from more viewers. You don\u2019t grow the league by making it increasingly difficult to watch.<\/p>\n

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Imagine if a Seth Jarvis goal could also end a Hurricanes penalty kill early, like with the PWHL\u2019s jailbreak goal rule. (Bruce Bennett \/ Getty Images)Round 5<\/p>\n

Pick 5.1. Mark takes:<\/b> Ditch the divisional format and seed the playoffs 1 to 16.<\/p>\n

I have so many ideas that I genuinely love that many people will hate \u2014 have college basketball-style pep bands in each arena, stop allowing short-handed teams to ice the puck, abolish the junior-hockey system that removes kids from regular school and society and treats them as professional athletes at a dangerously young age \u2014\u00a0 but I\u2019m going to go with something a little more tangible.<\/p>\n

Conferences mean nothing anymore and charter planes are very comfortable. It\u2019s time to ditch Bettman\u2019s universally reviled divisional playoff format and just seed all the teams 1-16. Colorado shouldn\u2019t have to face Dallas in the first round, and the world should not be subjected to yet another Kings-Oilers series. The best teams get the best matchups, the end. But we still keep the 2-2-1-1-1 series format; 2-3-2 inherently favors the lesser team. Could it make for some long travel days? Sure. Might it bankrupt some traveling media outlets? Possibly. But it\u2019ll make for the best postseason, with new matchups and new rivalries. And it can\u2019t be any worse than trying to get from Edmonton to Dallas, or Edmonton to Fort Lauderdale, or Edmonton to Chicago, or Edmonton to \u2026 hmm\u2026 maybe the solution here is to bar Edmonton from the postseason? (I kid, I kid. Bistro Praha forever, man.)<\/p>\n

Pick 5.2. Shayna takes:<\/b> Build a more consistent officiating and disciplinary system<\/p>\n

This requires a handful of tweaks:<\/p>\n