No one knows when the NHL will put its new headshot rule into effect, but it can't come soon enough for some Maple Leafs.

"You have to have a starting point," defenceman Francois Beauchemin urged Wednesday after practice. "Bring that rule in and we'll see what happens. You can always adjust after that."

The league is working on the language of the legislation and compiling a do's-and-don'ts video, but fast tracking it is easier said than done. Changing the rulebook for high-speed contact more than 1,000 games into the season is a lot harder than ruling that Sean Avery can't jump around in the lip of the crease to distract goalies. And a point has been made that a playoff spot could ride on a player that is suspended after the rule change is invoked where the same play was not illegal a few days before.