Explaining the NHL Rule Changes for 2023-24 Season

New hockey season, new official hockey rules.

The 2023-24 NHL Rulebook doesn't have any major changes from the 2022-23 edition, but here are two notable tweaks that made it into the official rule book this year, as first reported by Scouting the Refs.

If your team was hurt by a missed puck-in-the netting call prior to last season, we have good news— unless you dislike coach's challenges, in which case, get ready for more pauses in play.

A coach's ability to challenge a puck-in-the netting call now officially extends to any puck put above the glass before scoring a goal, no matter which team made the last play.

This rule was already being applied during the 2022-23 season, Scouting the Refs noted.

The previous play stoppage rule stated that challenges could only be instituted for missed stoppages "caused by the attacking team." The change is in bold below, per Scouting the Refs:

"Rule 38.2 (b): A play that results in a "GOAL" call on the ice where the defending team claims that the play should have been stopped by reason of any play occurring in the offensive zone that should have resulted in a play stoppage caused by the attacking team but did not. The one exception to this provision is when the puck strikes the spectator netting caused by either team and goes unnoticed by the on-ice officials."

Scouting the Refs also reported a change in wording on the rule regarding how players leaving the ice for a line change must completely enter the bench in order for their team to fully clear the zone during a delayed offside.

That rule was already in effect, as Colorado Avalanche fans will remember from four years ago, when the rule was applied on a coach's challenge.

In Game 7 of the 2019 second round, the San Jose Sharks successfully challenged a goal for being offsides because Gabriel Landeskog was still on the ice on the other side of the blue line as he prepared to enter the bench following a line change.

The Sharks ended up eliminating the Avalanche with a 3-2 win.

Scouting the Refs cited the delayed offsides rule in explaining the call.

Now, that delayed offsides rule has been reworded to the text below, per Scouting the Refs. The NHL rulebook clarified "completely off the ice" by changing the phrase to specify the requirement is that "both skates are off the ice."

"Rule 83.1: If, during a delayed off-side, an attacking player in the attacking zone elects to proceed to his players' bench (which extends into the attacking zone) to be replaced by a teammate, he shall be considered to have cleared the zone when both skates are off the ice and the Linesperson judges him to have left the playing surface."

Hockey fans have already seen both of these rule changes in action, but now they're official just in time for the season to start Tuesday.