from Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic,

Please note that I’m not suggesting to make every single change listed here, especially as some would be unnecessary and/or over the top in conjunction with others, nor am I saying that these changes should be implemented without any testing whatsoever.

- No offsides (on zone entries)

Those who have followed me for a while know I’ve been a staunch supporter of the End Offsides movement. If it’s a no to 4-on-4 hockey (having both would be overkill), then the next best solution toward freeing up space is allowing players to enter the zone freely without the puck. Again, I’ve written about this before for The Hockey News, and I think the positives far outweigh the drawbacks. Offside was created in 1930 to counter the forward pass, but all it does now is clog up the neutral zone (something no one but the coaches like watching) and limit offence. It hinders creativity, and taking it out would give players much more space with the puck. It’s an archaic rule that serves no beneficial purpose to the modern NHL.

- Penalty adjustments

Something that’s always bothered me is penalty severity. I’m not sure how the NHL came up with two minutes, four minutes and then, for some reason, five minutes. What’s the logic behind those three numbers specifically? My proposed adjustment goes well with calling the rulebook and allows referees to manage games to their discretion while actually making calls. Introducing a one-minute and a three-minute penalty would give referees an option from one minute all the way to five on the severity of a call. Maybe a ticky-tack slash doesn’t deserve a full two, but it was a slash, so why not give it a one-minute infraction? See a call that’s worse than your average penalty but not worth a major, why not give it three or four instead? With this system, there are no more minors or majors or double minors, it’s just a penalty based on severity according to the referee. I hesitate to give them that power, but I believe it would be a reasonable compromise. You ask them to be strict rule enforcers but also allow them more options to dictate the punishment length.

more (paid) on the second topic and 13 other suggestions...