Change is good.
That's the stance from NHL general managers, who on the third day of meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., called for a change to the NHL's bye week, which was implemented this season.
"You come out of the break and we looked like a peewee team in Colorado," Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray told TSN's Frank Seravalli. "We're a middle-of-the-pack, or a bottom-third team, however you want to write it. We had to fly to Colorado and play a mile in the air after five days off, so it was no good."
The recommendation calls for half of the league to take its bye week at one time, and the remaining clubs to sit out the following week. The first two games coming out of the bye week would be against teams who were also inactive, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.
As of Feb. 25, teams playing after their bye week combined for a 4-12-4 record.
The next step is for the proposal to be agreed upon by the NHL's board of governors and the players association.
Gary Bettman on this year's bye week schedule: "It didn't work."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 8, 2017
The bye week wasn't the only topic covered Wednesday. While previous days focused on larger ideas and ways to increase scoring, the latter part of the week zeroed in on the finer points.
Among the other points of discussion, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly projected next season's salary cap to be between $75.5 million and $76 million, but noted the final number will depend on how the NHLPA votes on the five percent escalator. This year's cap is $73 million.
Meanwhile, one on-ice change could limit when coaches call timeouts. Wednesday's proposal would prevent bench bosses from calling a timeout after an icing. The same rule was implemented in the AHL this season. The rule change will now be voted on by the NHL's competition committee.
The future of NHL participation in the Olympics was also raised Wednesday, however, commissioner Gary Bettman noted league owners are "somewhere between fatigue and negativity" when it comes to participation in Pyeongchang in 2018.
The NHL has been involved in the Olympics since 1998 in Nagano. But as Bettman told Seravalli, "We're focused on a schedule (for next season) that doesn't include the Olympics right now."
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