from Shayna Goldman of The Athletic,

Is three-on-three overtime broken?

That’s what NHL general managers were tasked with deciding when they met this week in Florida.

No proposals for rule changes were ultimately made, but it was on the docket for a reason. The conversation was sparked in November, when all 32 general managers and league representatives met in Toronto.

Much of the discussion on overtime revolved around the idea of regroups, and whether they were starting to bring down the excitement level that three-on-three play can bring at its best. Early ideas for change included limiting regroups to the red line, adding a shot clock or penalizing teams with a loss in possession for intentionally leaving the offensive zone with the puck.

While there may be room for improvement with overtime, the NHL rightfully avoided a step in the wrong direction here.

The big question the NHL has to figure out is what about the current overtime system is holding the game back.

If the answer is players regrouping often, then the evidence would have to be that offensive creation and goal scoring are down.

In three-on-three action — excluding special-teams time in overtime — teams are generating offense at a rate of 9.7 expected goals for per 60. That is the second-lowest rate since 2020-21. The difference from years past is that scoring chances aren’t as concentrated in the slot area, but expand more throughout the entire home plate.

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