When GMs met to discuss the NHL news of the day, one of the topics was the hit on Boston superstar Marc Savard by Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The entire online betting community knows the hit was dirty, and the GMs may have had enough. Cooke was not suspended for the hit.

At their meetings last week the competition committee suggested a new set of rules based on deliberate hits to the head. A player accused of a deliberate hit to the head on another player could get a minor or major penalty, and if it is a major penalty it automatically brings up a review and possible suspension by the league. The NHLPA has to look the proposal over and while they may make a few changes to it, there is no indication that the players will deny such a rule change.

Another rule change being considered is the tie-breaker system for determining who makes the playoffs. Right now, if teams are tied in points then the first tie-breaker is combined regular season wins. The GMs are considering changing that to wins in regulation or overtime to help reduce the chances that a shootout can determine who goes to the playoffs and who doesn’t. The problem the GMs see is coaches not playing for the win and instead trying to get to the shootout and win that way. This is an attempt to discourage that.

Unpredictable Buffalo rookie defenseman Tyler Myers continues to be a star in the NHL and the top contender for the Calder Trophy that signifies the rookie of the year. The last Sabre to win the Calder Trophy was goaltender Tom Barrasso in 1984. In their history the Sabres have two Calder winners; Barrasso and Sabre legend Gilbert Perreault who won the award in 1971.

The NHL general managers are one step closer to establishing a rule that will eliminate shots to the head in professional hockey.

On the second day of the annual GM meetings in Boca Raton, Florida, a group of eight managers discussed the issue and were able to find a potential solution that could include penalizing players that make contact to the head of an opposition player that is in a defenseless position. Although the rule is unlikely to eliminate shots to the head completely from the game, it is a sign of progress in an area that has led to 200 reported cases of concussions in the past two years.

The group of eight is scheduled to present the sports book solution to its constituents in a larger meeting on Wednesday. If an agreement is reached among those present, an official recommendation will be made to the NHL’s competition committee.

The issue of head shots is one of several that are being discussed at this week’s meetings, but has been shoved into the spotlight by Pittsburgh winger Matt Cooke’s blindside shot to the head of Boston center Marc Savard in Sunday’s game. That hit left Marc Savard with a grade two concussion and indefinite status for the remainder of the season.

There has been no ruling on Cooke’s hit by league disciplinarian Colin Campbell at this time.

With the NHL trade deadline here and gone, it is time for online betting cappers to look around at the league and see what other NHL news is taking place.

The Washington Capitals added strength to an already strong team when they picked up Eric Belanger, Scott Walker and Joe Corvo on trade deadline day. Walker and Belanger add leadership to an already veteran team, and Corvo is a stay at home defenseman that will add stability to the Caps’ backline.

Olympic MVP Ryan Miller played his first game for the Sabres against the Capitals two days after the Olympics ended and promptly got blasted for 40 shots on goal. Forward Paul Gaustad is out from the Sabres for at least a week with an arm injury.

The Phoenix Coyotes made some significant upgrades to their roster when they added Wojtek Wolski and Lee Stempniak on trade deadline day. Wolski is a young gun that has almost 50 points in the 2010 campaign, and Stempniak is a winger with some size that can also put the puck in the net.

In the Western Conference there are five teams within four points of the last playoff spot that is currently being held by the Detroit Red Wings. The Anaheim Ducks were very busy on trade deadline day and are hoping to challenge for that spot by the end of the season. One of the notable pickups by Anaheim was defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky who offers a scoring punch to the Ducks’ defensive corps.

The Philadelphia Flyers could not make a deadline deal to replace starting goaltender Ray Emery who is out for the season with a hip injury. To take them the rest of the way, the Flyers lean on Brian Boucher who is on his second tour of duty with the team. Boucher will split time with Michael Leighton, but it may be difficult for the Flyers to cling to their playoff spot without a real number one goalie.

The NHL trade deadline passed Wednesday afternoon.

Although several teams made moves to improve their rosters, others failed to make deals to address areas of weakness.

Among the most notable NHL trade day losers is the Calgary Flames.

After essentially giving up on a former Norris trophy candidate in 24–year old defenseman Dion Phaneuf, the Flames signed Matt Stajan to a long-term contract, confusing a role player for a top-six scoring forward. On the playoff bubble in the Western conference in ninth place with 20 games to go, Calgary failed to add a significant scorer to a team in need of offense. There biggest move was the acquisition of Vesa Toskala from Anaheim, a backup goalie making starter’s money that will hardly help the Flames make the playoffs.

The Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, and Anaheim Ducks were among the teams that are on the playoff bubble in their respective conferences and failed to make a move that significantly improved their roster.