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GMs mixed about blindside hits, but maybe shootouts get spruced up?

nhl olympic

SOCHI, RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 15: T.J. Oshie #74 of the United States scores on a shootout against Sergei Bobrovski #72 of Russia during the Men’s Ice Hockey Preliminary Round Group A game on day eight of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Bolshoy Ice Dome on February 15, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

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Hey, the NHL might take its time with policing different forms of hits, but the league’s always interested in tweaking what happens after regulation.

From going to 3-on-3 overtime to eliminating the scourge that was the spin-o-rama, those changes seem to catch the eyes of GMs and others. So, it’s not too surprising that the league seems to be at an impasse when it comes to the controversial blindside hit Nazem Kadri delivered, yet they might change the “skills competition” thanks to the latest GM meetings.

“This isn’t a meeting where you make fundamental changes,” Gary Bettman said, via NHL.com. “It’s really more of an update.”

So while TSN’s Pierre LeBrun believes that the “hawks and doves” are split on what to do with blindside hits, St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong’s shootout tweak might be more likely to gain some traction.

Specifically, Armstrong looks to take a cue from the Sochi Olympics, when T.J. Oshie put on quite the display by taking shootout attempt after shootout attempt for the U.S. against Russia.

Armstrong’s tweak would allow teams to keep trotting out the same shooter Oshie-style after the first three shooters for each team.

Want more regarding those discussions? NHL.com’s Dan Rosen runs it down in this video.