NHL general managers have approved a rule proposal which states a skater must immediately go to the bench upon losing his helmet. To enforce the safety measure, a skater who loses his helmet and doesn't comply would be assessed a two-minute penalty. Skaters can currently stay on the ice if they lose a helmet.
The NHL-NHLPA Competition Committee must approve any proposed rule changes before they're passed along to the Board of Governors.
"I don't see any reason why we're waiting around for something to happen in this space," NHL senior vice president of player safety George Parros said, according to NHL.com. "God forbid something should happen. I think this rule would go on the list right away, so everybody was on board with that. We'll figure out what that rule will look like, draft up some options and push it through the proper channels."
NHL GMs also want all players to wear helmets during warmup, which as of now they're not obligated to do by the league. Former Rangers coach Alain Vigneault used to require all his players to wear helmets while warming up.
Another rule proposal calls for allowing teams about to begin a power play to choose which side of the ice the initial faceoff will take place. Faceoffs to begin power plays take place on the side where play was stopped. The GMs, in Boca Raton for their annual meetings, also want clocks installed in the boards at every arena.