General managers gather for annual spring meeting

TORONTO -- All 30 general managers and several National Hockey League executives are gathered in the same boardroom at the League office for a full day of meetings to cover a variety of topics related to the state of the game.

They began shortly after 10 a.m. ET and aren't expected to break until approximately 5 p.m. ET.

The managers are spending the morning in breakout groups to discuss different topics. According to various reports, the topics include interference on the forecheck and the amount of embellishment that is happening across the League.

Several GMs told NHL.com earlier in the week that the discussion on the embellishment issue is important because it affects the integrity of the game.

Both of these topics were discussed at length in August, when the League hosted a rules enforcement summit that included select players, coaches, general managers and on-ice officials.

Other topics on the agenda, according to reports, include the concept of a coach's instant-replay challenge, the possibility of a reduction in the size of goalie equipment, shootout issues and various player-safety issues dealing with visors and cut-resistant socks.

Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon first proposed the idea for a coach's replay challenge at the November 2010 meeting. It was shot down by a 28-2 vote and Tallon called it a "dead issue," but it has been revived and several GMs have an interest in learning more about it and how it potentially could be utilized.

Both Mathieu Schneider and Rob Zamuner from the National Hockey League Players' Association will join the large-group discussions regarding the various player-safety issues and potential tweaks to the rules. Schneider is the NHLPA's special assistant to the executive director and Zamuner is a divisional player representative.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly is expected to provide a comprehensive update on several issues, including Olympic participation. Daly and Commissioner Gary Bettman also will open the floor to the managers to allow them to ask questions about the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.