No Big Rule Changes This Year

NHL teams

The biggest change is limiting the situations under which linesmen can make penalty calls and award penalty shots.

With the NHL's move to a two-referee system for every game this season, linesmen no longer will call double-minor, instigator or checking-from-behind penalties. Linesmen will continue to call stick fouls that result in a major penalty.

Linesmen will only be allowed to call penalty shots when they observe a stick being thrown at the puck or the puck carrier.

The board of governors also said that the Stanley Cup champion will get the final pick in the entry draft regardless of its position in the regular-season standings.

Under the new draft selection process, the Stanley Cup winner will receive the 30th and final pick, preceded by the regular-season champions of each division.

The remaining teams will continue to select in reverse order of regular-season points, except where modified by the results of the entry draft drawing.