Did the Flames get enough of a return for Chris Tanev? Elias Pettersson closes in on contract extension and does Canada or the U.S. have the better NHL 24 roster?

Give the PWHL credit.

While the women's league didn't exactly get creative with their lack of team names, they have more than made up for it by pushing the boundaries with some really innovative concepts.

The "Jailbreak" short-handed goal rule has added a new wrinkle to how aggressively teams defend while killing a penalty, while the 3-2-1 point system puts more emphasis on winning in regulation rather in overtime.

On Wednesday, the PWHL continued to think outside the box with two new changes introduced for the stretch run of the season. The first rewards the league's top-seeded teams to pick their opponent for the first round of the playoffs. The second aims to put an end to tanking for the No. 1 overall pick.

Named "The Gold Plan", in honor of Adam Gold, who presented the idea at the 2012 Sloan Analytics Conference, teams begin accruing points toward the first-overall pick the moment they are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

It's one that the NHL should adopt immediately. And could have put Connor Bedard in a Vancouver Canucks jersey had it been implemented last year.

As you might remember, the Chicago Blackhawks won the No. 1 overall pick last year after losing 11 of their final 13 games to increase their draft lottery odds. During that same stretch, the last-place Anaheim Ducks had no wins, the Arizona Coyotes had one win, the San Jose Sharks had three wins, while the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens each had four wins. 

Meanwhile, the Canucks finished the season strong with eight wins and 16 points. Under The Gold Plan, this could have resulted in Bedard returning home to Vancouver.

Instead, the Canucks were "rewarded" with the No. 11 pick.

Then again, had the Blackhawks been incentivized, maybe they wouldn't have become sellers at the deadline. It's something to think about this year as teams start "slacking" for top prospect Macklin Celebrini.

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