It’s been brought up before, although without much success. At one NHL general managers meeting a couple of years after the lockout that gave birth to the shootout, the idea to give three points to a regulation win was presented. And then shot down quite convincingly. Thinking back, one of those GMs in favor remembers only about half a dozen or so people on his side trying to making the change.
Over the past couple of years, GMs have focused on making the game safer, following previous rule changes that sped the game up. Tweaking the point system hasn’t come up. There have been other, more important, priorities. Plus, the parity in the standings has led to some of the most exciting regular-season playoff races the league has ever seen.
“The races are unreal,” said one GM. “I like it the way it is.”
Changing the system might not mean losing those races, which is one reason the league may be more open to a change in the system than many people believe.