10 potential rule changes that will be discussed during the GM meetings.

The National Hockey League is set to hold it's all important general managers meetings and that usually means that new rules or changes to the existing ones are going to be on the table in the next several days. 

According to a report from TSN  National Hockey League insider Frank Seravalli there is no one hot button issue at this year's general managers' meetings unlike there have been in the past with things like the offside challenges dominated the discussion and the coverage of the annual event. However that does not mean that the National Hockey League's general manager's are perfectly happy with the status quo and Servalli lists 10 things he believes will be on the agendathis year.

#1 Additional clocks on the ice.

There is a possibility that game clocks visible at eye level to the players on the ice will be added, there are however still some logistical issues to work out regarding the placement of those clocks. Ideally this would prevent players from having to look up at the scoreboard during live action.

#2 The salary cap and how it applies to suspended players.

Some general managers want to see suspended players much in the way that injured players function when they are placed on long term injured reserve. I personally think this is a terrible idea and one that could quickly be abused. 

#3 Goaltender skate blades.

There is a proposal that would see play stopped when a goalie loses a skate blade, much in the way that it is currently stopped when he loses his helmet. This is a health and safety issues and if the GMs feel strongly enough about it I am all for it.

#4 Tiebreakers.

There are proposed changes to the tiebreaker rules for the regular season standings. One suggest we see overtime wins removed completely from the tie breaking scenario that is used currently. I'm largely indifferent here, this is one that you would likely need to see in practice and I think you would get too few examples each season to really notice a big long term impact.

#5 Power play faceoff.

A team on the power play could be able to pick which side they take the face off on should this rule change go through. 

#6 Helmets.

No helmet warm ups may soon become extinct and additionally it appears that the NHL will be taking a long hard look at possibly adopting the American Hockey League's rules regarding the loss of a helmet during play. In the AHL if a player loses his helmet he must leave the ice immediately.

#7 More automatic goals.

To avoid players intentionally knocking their own nets over to negate a goal this proposed rule change would see harsher punishment in the most obvious of cases. For example if a goalie knocks his goal off it's moorings while an opposing player is on a breakaway, that player would simply receive an automatic goal. This one makes a lot of sense to me.

#8 The Elias Pettersson rule.

Pettersson was hurt earlier this season when he was slammed to the ice by Florida Pantrhers player Mike Matheson. There was no language in the rule book that specifically addressed slamming, although everyone knew upon watching it that it was a dirty play. This change would aim to alter the language to include slamming moving forward.

#9 Bigger Fines

Some of the fines in the NHL for violating it's rules date back to a bygone era of hockey. The plan here would be to inflate player fines to match today's more inflated salaries, although no doubt the NHLPA will have something to say about that.

#10 Naughty Words.

This is where the NHL has lost me. According to Seravalli due to the increased number of cameras catching literally every interaction on the ice these days there is "an appetite to try and curb foul language and trash talking on the ice and on the benches." Trash talking builds great rivalries and if players want to be mean to one another on the ice I feel it makes the games more interesting and gets fans way more emotionally invested. I don't get a vote but this is a terrible idea.