Weighing The Pros And Cons Of The PWHL's New "No Escape Rule"

The PWHL's new "No Escape Rule" has been received with mixed reviews from players and coaches. Here's a look at some of the pros and cons of the new rule.

The PWHL has not been shy to innovate in terms of league rules. Last year, the league allowed the first place team to choose their playoff opponent. They also implemented the Gold Plan which sees teams competing for points toward the first overall pick after they're mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The league also used the 3-2-1 point system, diverging from the NHL's status quo. None of these rules impacted the fabric of the on-ice product.

Additionally, the league re-introduced body checking to women's hockey, an artifact of the game that was eliminated in 1992, after decades of women playing full contact hockey in many leagues.

Perhaps the most notable rule change in the PWHL's inaugural season, was the introduction of the "jailbreak," a rule that enables teams to free their penalized player if they score a shorthanded goal. 

This year, the highlight of the league's continued efforts to innovate is the "No Escape Rule." It states that players who are on the ice when a penalty is assessed against their team, must remain on to start the penalty kill, similar to how players are trapped on the ice following an icing. 

The rule was met with mixed reception from coaches and players. Why? Here's a look at the Pros and Cons of the rule. At the end, the question is, does this rule improve the quality of on ice product, or is it simply a gimmick?

How often do we see it? At the end of a long shift when a team is exhausted, they take a tripping or interference call as their feet fail to keep up with the attacking play. In this situation, those tired players will need to stay on the ice, and could be trapped in their own zone for another minute or more, all the while needing to block shots, and cover more ice. It's not a significant risk, but it still exists.

Teams with a powerplay already have a large advantage. Games are often decided by special teams, and keeping tired penalty killers, and players who may not typically kill penalties on the ice, adds to that advantage. If a defender takes a penalty, it will also force a forward to play out of position. It will be interesting to track trends to see if power play efficiency improves this season. This will likely be the main metric the league will want to see move.

Often, defensive defenders and checking line forwards already see less ice time. Now, those specialists, who typically see themselves tapped on the shoulder to kill penalties, won't have as many opportunities, further reducing their ice time. Historically, there have always been players who make their living killing penalties and playing specialty defensive roles. Those players will always exist, but they might now see less ice time, less opportunity, and be given less value. Similarly, if offensive players are taking on more ice time, will we see even strength scoring decline? 

With new rules come new strategies. Will we see teams feverishly watching the arms of officials to get changes made before the whistle is blown? Will we see offensive teams handing over the puck to trap others on the ice? Will we see new penalty kill formations hatched when it's three forwards and a defender on the ice? Will we see more power play formations overloading sides if the extra forward is caught on the ice? If three forwards are out to kill, will we see teams abandoning umbrella systems and focus more on plays down low? It will all be interesting to watch.

Making the jump from college, or Europe to the PWHL is going to be at an all-time high in the coming seasons. It will be extremely difficult, and we'll see more and more drafted players unable to crack rosters. For young players, learning the defensive game is always one of the last areas of growth. The body checking rule provides a significant hurdle to overcome, and young players may find themselves out of their element further when they are asked to step into a role they have seldom played. The question is, does the value of adding a handful of powerplay goals to each team's totals outweigh what could create embarrassing moments where the level of play comes into question? Is it a gimmick to be different, or is this something that will improve the game play?

On the other side of the coin, every player in the PWHL will need to put extra attention into defensive play. Eventually this could turn into a con as scoring could decrease overall as players improve their defensive play. But well rounded players will thrive, and it may help teams who find themselves in a roster bind without a development league. For example, last season the Ottawa Charge ran out of defenders in their playoff stretch. They moved forward Sam Isbell back. She had some experience playing defence, but it was not ideal. Perhaps having the ability to test run a variety of players in defensive roles could help in these pinch moments. It could also significantly boost the draft stock of a player like Laila Edwards, who is one of the world's top offensive talents, but also a player we've seen move to the point occasionally.