10 rule change suggestions to be discussed at the upcoming GM meeting

According to TSN's Frank Seravalli, there will be a discussion involving 10 rule changes that could be changed at the upcoming annual general manager meeting. And some of these could be big for the next generation of players.

The first change is that there could be additional clocks on the ice. Apparently, Seravalli believes that the clocks could be placed at eye level for the players to look at instead of players having to look up at the jumbotron during live play.

The next change is how the salary cap applies to suspended players. Some GMs want the salary cap to apply the same way it applies to players put on the Long-Term Injured Reserve.

There is a proposal about what happens when a netminder loses their skate blade. As of now, when a goaltender loses their blade, the play isn't blown dead. The proposal is when a goaltender loses their blade, GMs want the play called dead in the same fashion as when the netminder loses their helmet.

The fourth change is involving tiebreakers for the regular season standings. According to Seravalli, we could see the overtime period be removed completely, and a new format could be brought to light. Another suggestion could be sort of like the playoffs tiebreakers where there is endless overtime periods, but there format would be 3-on-3 endless overtime, like CBJ's head coach John Tortorella said earlier this week.

The next one is powerplay faceoff, this could be interesting as the rule change could be that the team on the powerplay chose which faceoff circle they prefer the powerplay faceoff to take place.

The next suggestion is surrounding helmets. As of today, the helmet during the warm-up isn't an obligation. What is suggested is that the helmet could become a mandatory piece of equipment during warm-ups to reduce injuries. And also, the NHL could be seeking to adopt the AHL's rule that if a player loses their helmet during the play, to leave the ice immediately or suffer a penalty.

The eighth change could be what the League could call the Elias Pettersson rule. As of this writing, there are no rules about slamming players to the ice. Normally, it would be roughing, but after what we witnessed this year involving Vancouver's Pettersson and Florida's Matheson. But since there are no rules about slamming, this change could mean they would alter some of the language in the rule book.

Another change is about fines. To be honest, a player making a million a year, paying a $4,000 fine is nothing but chump change. The league would adopt harsher fines to players that do dirty plays, say discriminating slurs and also surrounding drug use. Without a doubt, the league would have to talk with NHLPA before making this change.

Last but not least, the final rule change that the league wants to implant is regarding trashtalking. This one confuses me, but this is something that Seravalli believes that it needs to be addressed. Since people want to be closer to the game, and with the increase of use of cameras. People feel that foul language and trashtalking needs to be reduced. This is not something I believe needs to be addressed, trashtalking is what makes great rivalries between organizations.

What are your thoughts on these potential rule changes that could become a reality next season?