from Nicholas J. Cotsonika of Yahoo,

The question now is which of two ideas to use: five minutes of 3-on-3 or the American Hockey League format. Starting this season, the AHL went to seven minutes of OT – 4-on-4 until the first whistle after the three-minute mark, then 3-on-3....

Fewer players means less coaching. More ice means more speed and skill. It remains to be seen, though, how it will look in the NHL.

“You’re dealing with more experienced players, much more talented players, coaches which may come up with different sort of plans,” said Colin Campbell, NHL senior vice president of hockey operations.

In the AHL, most coaches have used two forwards and one defenseman. Some have used three forwards. But Campbell said: “I think you’re going to see a lot different results and different ways games are played than we see in the American Hockey League.”

Some NHL GMs would prefer not to go straight from 5-on-5 to 3-on-3.

“It’s a team game,” said Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon. “I would like to get more players involved. If you go right to 3-on-3, you are going to eliminate half of your bench. Six or seven guys aren’t going to get any action.”

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