NHL Announces Rule Changes for Next Season

The NHL is introducing several rule changes for the new season.

Jun 8, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Gary Bettman Commissioner of the NHL during a press conference prior to the game against the Florida Panters and Edmonton Oilers in game one of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The NHL season just concluded, but the league is already moving forward with the 2024-2025 season. The draft is complete, free agency is underway, and teams are moving forward with next season's pursuits.

The league is also moving on to next season, as the NHL announced a slew of rule changes that will be implemented. The news came after the NHL's Board of Governors unanimously approved the new measures.

These new rules still need to have their official language drafted for the NHL rulebook, but the league laid out a general overview. of the new rules in a recent press release. The following rules will go into effect this upcoming season.

Rule 38.2 (Situations Subject to Coach’s Challenge)

"A coach’s challenge now will be permitted to take down a penalty for puck out of play. This only will apply to delay of game penalties when the puck is determined to have deflected off a player, stick, glass or boards, and not on a judgment call on how the puck left the defensive zone (e.g., batted pucks or if the puck was shot out from the defensive zone). In the event of a failed challenge, another two-minute minor penalty will be assessed (in addition to the existing delay of game penalty)."

Rule 63.8 (Line Change Following Dislodged Net)

"There will be an adjustment to Rule 63.8 so that the defensive team cannot make a line change in the event its goaltender accidentally dislodges the net (old language applied just to skater)."

Rule 76.4 (Face-Off Procedure – Centers)

"Following an icing, the offensive center also now will receive one warning (same as the defensive player) for a face-off violation."

Rule 75.3 (Unsportsmanlike Conduct – Player Sitting on Boards)

"The referee now will provide the offending team (coach and players) with one warning regarding players sitting on the boards (and will so advise the other team). After one warning in a game, the team precipitating the warning will be issued a bench minor penalty for future violations."

For the most part, these are clarifications and tweaks to existing rules. It's hard to see any of these having a huge impact on the game. Referees are now permitted to give out warnings in certain face-off situations. Similarly, a line change loophole was closed, so if a goaltender "accidentally" dislodges his net in the defensive zone, his team cannot change lines before the ensuing face-off. The only thing these updates will do is speed up the downtime after the whistle.

The biggest shift in 2024-2025 is the expansion of the coach’s challenge. The league has made an effort to expand what the officiating crew can review, and they've added more responsibility to their plate. The league will now allow challenges for certain delay of game penalty rulings. The league's press release highlighted two examples: batted pucks out of play and pucks cleared from the defensive zone, but they are also still working out the official language for the rulebooks. 

It's unclear what the NHL's goal is with these rule changes. Some of it will help speed the game up, but some of these adjustments will significantly slow it down. While the need to get calls on the ice correct is admirable, long stoppages to review a penalty are not ideal for the players or fans watching. Whatever the result, we'll see it all play out in this upcoming season.