from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- The GM meetings begin next Monday in Florida, and it’s expected that a few of them may ask to see if the offside reviews can be moved from the ice to the War Room in Toronto. There seems to be a lot less anger about goaltender interference decisions than offside rulings. It’s delicate, however. Whenever this comes up — and it’s been brought up a few times, most recently during the Washington/Boston game last Saturday — officials push back, not wanting more control taken from them. At some point, though, it’s going to come down to bigger screens or no replay system at all.

- The league is not as bullish as it once was on cameras in the goal posts. Too much is obstructed. It is, however, more confident in them inside the crossbar, looking down. Those are being worked on for all playoff games. Same goes for cameras along the blue line. The plan is to install them in the 16 arenas that will host post-season games. On the penalty box side, they will be set along the surface. The players’ bench is trickier, so the mount will be above the ice.

- At the last GM meeting, there were discussions about banning the opening of bench doors during play to prevent injuries should someone fall into them. Doesn’t sound like it’s going to happen. One of the concerns is that it means more skates flying in the air around the bench. Very legitimate worry. Since eyes will be on the ice, the potential for a frightening cut is enhanced.

more topics...