The Professional Women's Hockey League has some innovative and interesting new rules in its inaugural season.
One rule is something that some NHL fans have been calling for for awhile -- a team gets three points in the standings for a regulation win, two for an overtime or shootout win, and one for an overtime or shootout loss. It gives teams that extra incentive to end a game in regulation.
Another interesting change is that when a team scores a shorthanded goal, it ends their penalty and the opponent's power play. That gives teams incentive to be a little more aggressive on penalty-kills and can lead to more offense.
My Survey Says question for this edition was to ask Penguins players what rules they would change or implement at the NHL level, either on or off the ice. Some suggestions were pretty good, some were goofy. Some answers were also pretty self-serving, with a couple players choosing to eliminate things like offside reviews or a specific penalty after they had gotten burned by it a few days before.
Here's what everyone said.
Matt Nieto: They should make the nets bigger.
Vinnie Hinostroza: I'd make the nets a little bigger and see how that went, maybe like a foot or something. The goalies are enormous now, the pads are enormous. Some games there's a lot of scoring, but I think if you asked a lot of guys it's hard to score in this league. It'd be interesting to see what the scores would be like if they made the nets a little bigger.
Tristan Jarry: No goals being scored.
Jansen Harkins: I feel like I've always enjoyed having roommates. I feel like depending on how much time you're spending on the road, if you're by yourself all the time? I think certain situations, like if you're getting away from a busy house or something like that, I feel like it's nice to get some downtime, maybe. But I've always enjoyed having roommates, so that's one for me.
Ryan Graves: Maybe the offside rule. If it's offside, but then the play is happening for like 30 seconds and it's a no-goal? That's stupid. There should be a time limit. If it's not off the rush, get rid of that. (Later in that same day after Graves gave that answer, the Senators had an offside goal called back for a zone entry that had happened 27 seconds before the goal, and Graves was on the ice. I asked a couple days later if he wanted to change his answer.) Yes! If you average fewer than five goals a year, then they can't disallow any of your goals for any reason.
P.O Joseph: Puck in the stands, the penalty. I just know sometimes it's tough as a D, you just don't know and flip it, and then it's a penalty. I'd make it a whistle.
Noel Acciari: Offsides. Just get rid of it!
Alex Nylander: That offside camera in the blue line, get rid of that one.
Joona Koppanen: When they check the goals after, reviews. Sometimes if there was an offside before the goal and someone scores and (the offside) didn't really affect the play, I think it's not worth it sometimes.
Reilly Smith: Probably no video review when people flip the puck over the glass.
John Ludvig: I'd take icing out. I think that would make the game pretty crazy. When I'm going back to get a puck, I could just ice it down the ice and not get hit.
Lars Eller: I think puck over the glass shouldn't be a two-minute minor, get rid of the penalty.
Jonathan Gruden: A longer three-on-three overtime. Maybe go seven, eight minutes. I think it's really entertaining for the fans, the three-on-three. Less shootouts, too. That would be cool.
Kris Letang: I'd go back to the 1 vs. 8 (format in the playoffs), that's for sure. And bring back the red line.
Sidney Crosby: I'd do 1 vs. 8.
Ryan Shea: I think a play-in game for the playoffs. Maybe like the 8 and 9 (seeded teams) play a one-game elimination, that would be pretty cool.
Bryan Rust: Playoff formats, I'd like to see No. 1 vs. No. 8 again. Old school. I think that's a common thought from guys in the room. I think on the ice -- and it would completely change the game -- but take away offsides. Just see what would happen, see how open it gets.
Magnus Hellberg: The playoff format, 1 vs. 8. 2 vs. 7. That's what they do in Russia!
Chad Ruhwedel: I think playoffs could be conferences like it used to be -- No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7.
Rickard Rakell: I would say kicking in the net. It should be allowed.
Alex Nedeljkovic: I'd get rid of the trapezoid.
Dmitri Samorukov: When you have a power play, you start in the offensive zone.
Marcus Pettersson: It's tough. You know, me and Erik (Karlsson) just talked about this. I'm not sure it would be good for the game at all, but I've never played with redline offside. It would be kind of fun to test it out.
Erik Karlsson: It would actually be redline offside. I think we should put that back in. The game is too fast for everyone's good right now, I don't think it's good hockey.
Jake Guentzel: I think if you get a power play and you score on it, you keep the power play.
Drew O'Connor: I think maybe no icings on the power plays. I don't know, it seems like if you have the power play it's helping the defensive team a little bit. Like if they want more offense, maybe that's something to consider. But I mean, it would make it tough as a penalty-killer, so maybe that's not the best for me to wish for (laughs).
Valtteri Puustinen: Whatever we're doing, it's perfect here. That's my feeling now, all is perfect.
Radim Zohorna: Waivers.
