The perfect NHL: 3 points for a win, no blocked shots and 1 faceoff dot?

What if there was only one faceoff dot in the slot instead of the current configuration of dots to the goalie's left and right?

Or what if the game of hockey limited shot-blocking to only players who have both skates on the ice? Sliding out to block a shot would result in a penalty.

Or what if the centre line returned to slow down the game to force more plays in the neutral zone and reduce the number of dangerous plays from speedy forecheckers after dump-ins.

These eyebrow-raising ideas – and others – came to light in the first of the three-day NHL general manager meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., on Monday.

The league's 31 general managers (Vegas Golden Knights GM George McPhee officially has been added to the fray) were divided into four groups for a morning brainstorming session. They were charged to think about what the game will look like in the next five to 10 years and what alterations need to be carried out in order to get there.

'It was a good way to challenge each other'

It was a proverbial think tank.

"Today's session was sort of dreaming and thinking about different ideas," Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving told reporters.

"It was a good way to challenge each other."

Not all the ideas were new. When Bob Gainey was the Montreal Canadiens GM he already was concerned with how shot blocking was becoming too prominent in the game. He suggested at the 2008 meetings that shot blockers who slide out or drop down be penalized.

When the legendary Bobby Orr was doing his book tour four years ago for his autobiography Orr: My Story, he felt the centre line should be returned to limit the number of dangerous hits behind the net.

Another oft-debated idea in hockey has to do with the standings, whether to award three points for a regulation win and two for a victory in overtime or a shootout.

This was again a hot topic among the GMs on Monday. There is a concern that too many teams late in games play for the point. The loser point does create parity and tight playoff races. But would the game benefit with more teams going for it late in games?

Back to reality 

By my calculations, 24 per cent (234 of 971) of regular season games have been decided in overtime or by a shootout in 2016-17, up slightly from 22 per cent (275 of 1,230) last year.

A few GMs, like Lou Lamoriello of the Toronto Maple Leafs, simply want to eliminate the loser point altogether.

Another idea that came up yet again was a wild-card play-in for the post-season. Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland made this suggestion a few years ago. He would like to see the eighth and ninth-place team in each conference play a one-game playoff to get into the playoffs, similar to Major League Baseball.

These are all good ideas and worth exploring. But over the next two days, it's back to reality for the GMs.

On the docket for the final two days will be a discussion on whether or not there should be a time limit for video reviews on a coach's challenge and whether or not the offside rule should be altered to allow the blue line to act as a plane rather than a player's skate having to touch the line.

There also will be discussions about the problems of the bye week and streamlined goalie equipment as well as updates on salary cap ceiling for next season and Olympic participation.