Over the past few years, there have been many suggested rule or game changes for the NHL. Some you may agree with. Others you won’t.
While we’re still without a season, I thought it would be a good time to try and come up with the perfect NHL. Now, there’s a lot that could be talked about, so I’m going to set some guidelines as to what I’m looking for. I’m not interested in talking about players’ salaries or contract length.
Over the course of this week, I’m going to touch on each of the following topics, and get your opinions as well:
- Season length
- Point system
- Number of playoff teams
- Overtime/shootout
- Conferences/divisions
We’ll start with a couple topics for today.
Season length: Is 82 games too much? I have heard people say that an 82-game season is too long for the NHL. The season goes from the beginning of October to mid-April before the playoffs start. Would a shorter season be more beneficial for the NHL? There wouldn’t be as many games jammed into the schedule, and it may allow for the players to be better rested, which in turn could lead to better performances. A shorter season increases the importance of every game as well.
Conferences/Divisions: Right now, as you know, there are six divisions in the NHL. That could potentially change next season with a new alignment plan. The new plan would have four conferences, more details on that can be found here. Having realigned divisions would help reduce travel, while still having all teams face each other at least twice a year.
Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts. Part 2 will be published tomorrow.