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GMs want goalie interference reviews centralized; no change coming for offside rule

Calgary Flames v Ottawa Senators

OTTAWA, ON - MARCH 9: Referees Kendrick Nicholson #30 and Mike Hasenfratz #27 get ready to review a goal from a coach’s challenge during a game between the Ottawa Senators and the Calgary Flames at Canadian Tire Centre on March 9, 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***

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The NHL’s replay system for goaltender interference could be on the verge of getting a little bit of an overhaul.

The league’s general managers discussed the process this week at the GM meetings in Boca Raton, Florida and recommended that the final decision for goalie interference challenges be handled by the hockey operations department in Toronto’s situation room, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli.

Currently, those review decisions are made by the on-ice officials at the game.

Goalie interference has been one of the biggest hot button topics in the NHL this season and pretty much nobody seems to be happy with how it has gone because there does not seem to be any consistent standard on how it is enforced, what interference is, and whether or not goals will be allowed to stand once they are challenged.
[Related: NHL GMs are at least trying to fix goalie interference reviews]

There have been no shortage of complaints from players (particularly goalies) and coaches over the past few months.

By having the final decision handled by the folks in Toronto it would at least seem to bring some level of consistency to the calls because it would be the same people making the decisions every time.

On the other hand, it could also lead to even more confusion because an entirely new set of people are now making the decision just as the playoffs are set to begin.

Before that change can be made it has to be approved by the NHLPA, the officials union, and the NHL’s board of governors. That process is currently underway.

While the wheels are in motion for the goalie interference review process to change, the NHL’s general managers voted down a potential change to the offside rule.

It had been proposed that the NHL change the wording of the offside rule to allow players to have their skate off the ice when entering the zone, essentially turning the blue line into a vertical plane. The thinking there is that it would cut down on the number of offside calls and allow more goals to stand if a player’s skate is still behind the blue line but a couple of inches off the ice. As the rule is written now, the skate must remain on the ice for the play to be onside.

Colin Campbell said on Tuesday that there was not much of a push from the GMs to change that rule because “players know the rule,” via Seravalli.

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.