NHL competition committee to discuss offside reviews, slashing

The Hockey Night In Canada panel discuss where Ilya Kovalchuk may land if return to the NHL happens, possible offside changes, and the latest trade rumours.

There could be a few adjustments coming to the NHL, particularly when it comes to the league’s offside reviews and its stance on slashing.

“The competition committee will meet [Sunday] night,” said Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos. “Hot-button topics, of course one’s going to be the offside, the video review. The conversation can range from eliminating it altogether to changing the way you challenge it.”

The NHL’s offside reviews have been the subject of much criticism, with its outcomes having a sizeable impact on both the score and the pace of games—as we’ve seen during these playoffs.

“The other one is slashing,” said Kypreos. “The NHL has monitored the slashing throughout the playoffs. They figure there’s as many as 80 slashes per game. Of course, next season they don’t want a parade to the penalty box, but they will clamp down on the slashing to the hands.”

One of the more notable examples here was Sidney Crosby’s slash to the hand of Marc Methot, which resulted in a pretty gruesome finger injury for the Senators defenceman. Crosby was not penalized.

“We’ve seen it get worse and worse all season long,” said Kypreos. “That one will have to get adjusted almost as much as the clutching and grabbing did back in 2004.”

Per Kypreos, meeting attendees will include NHL executive VP and director of hockey operations Colin Campbell, the NHLPA’s Mathieu Schneider, and general managers including Edmonton’s Peter Chiarelli and Dallas’s Jim Nill.

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