"F***ing genius idea": Paul Bissonnette backs proposal to ban nearly all neutral zone faceoffs for greater offense

On Episode 533 of the "Spittin’ Chiclets" podcast posted on Tuesday, hosts Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney backed a proposal to remove most neutral zone faceoffs in the NHL. The idea, presented by NHL analyst Jeff Marek, aims to create more offense in the game.

Marek’s proposal suggests that faceoffs in the neutral zone should only happen at the start of the game, after a goal or at the start of a period. If a team goes offside, the puck would be sent back into the attacking zone. This would punish teams for mistakes and keep the play moving toward the net.

[01:17:43] "You said (to Paul Bissonnette) Marek blew your mind with this, and I was very intrigued as well." Whitney said. "There's a possible new rule in the game. It goes back to creating more offense, the league loves that, the fans love that. (Jeff's idea is that) unless it's the opening faceoff of the game, period or after a goal, we'll never see a faceoff in the neutral zone ever again."

Currently in the NHL, a neutral zone faceoff happens when a player is offside. This means they are in the offensive zone before the puck. The puck must enter the attacking zone before players. When offside occurs, the linesman stops play. The faceoff takes place at the nearest spot, usually in the neutral zone, to restart the game.

"Why would you put the puck there? In the neutral zone… " Marek said. "We get so married to rules and the history of the game. People say, 'I'm a purist, I'm a traditionalist.'... But tradition is nothing more than peer pressure from dead people… If the idea is to keep the puck hot and in position to go in the net, You go offside, the puck comes back into your zone."

Paul Bissonnette supported the idea. He said,

"I just love it (idea) because if you go offside, you should be punished for it. I don't know what the analytics will tell you, but I know, come playoff time, last year especially, the amount of goals that are scored off faceoffs because of broken coverage and lack of faceoff responsibility. I think that this is a F***ing genius idea."

Marek’s idea would stop most neutral zone faceoffs, keeping the game moving toward the net and reducing stoppages.

Paul Bissonnette's opinion about Marek's idea leading to more action

Paul Bissonnette believes that Marek’s idea could make the game faster and more exciting. If it were adopted, the NHL could see more goals and more action.

Right now, faceoffs happen after goals, penalties, or stoppages and some of them take place in the neutral zone. This leads to hindrance in consistent action and thus discourages fans from watching the game. Marek’s idea would stop most neutral zone faceoffs, keeping the game moving toward the net and reducing stoppages.

The change would reward teams that keep the puck in the attacking zone, aligning with the NHL's goal of encouraging offense.