Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Ron Francis proposed a change to how face-offs are conducted during Tuesday’s session at the GMs meetings in Boca Raton, Florida.
According to hockey insider Bob McKenzie, the rule change would see the defending team put down their stick first during a face-off, which would give a potential edge to the team in the offensive zone.
Small tweak aimed at possibly promoting offence. Only time visiting team puts stick down first on a faceoff is at the centre ice dot.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) March 18, 2015
As with any rule changes the competition committee and the NHL’s Board of Governors will have to give approval prior to the change taking place.
Related: NHL GMs support 3-on-3 overtime, but exact format still uncertain