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Removing the Trapezoid Rule: How would it affect the Leafs?
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Jonas Gustavsson and Vesa Toskala
One of the ideas that was tossed around at this year's NHL GM's meeting was the possibility of removing the trapezoid rule. After the 2004-05 lockout season a number of rule changes were made to improve the quality of the game on the ice. Among these changes was the addition of a trapezoid-shaped zone directly behind the net restricting the area that a goalie is allowed to play the puck. The idea behind the trapezoid was that goalies had been able to get to the pucks being dumped in too easily and thus neutralizing far too many offensive attacks.
The biggest concern with the trapezoid rule is the issue of safety. With the goalies unable to play the puck in the corner, they are leaving their defenseman far too exposed to being crushed into the boards by a checking forward. There was no better example than Liambas' hit on Fanelli which has left the 16 year-old fighting for his life. If the Kitchener Rangers goalie had been able to go out and play the puck in the corner it may have helped avoid such a blind-side hit.
Leaf perspective: The safety of Toronto's defenseman is a major issue, especially since the devastating hit by Tom Kostopoulus on Mike van Ryn last season. Van Ryn has never fully recovered and continues to be plagued by injury after being thrown face-first into the boards. The hit could have been avoided if Leaf goalie Vesa Toskala had been permitted to skate into the corner and clear out the puck. The Leafs should be strongly in favour of this rule being eliminated to help protect their players.
Another concern with the rule stems from the issue of the 'Martin Brodeur factor'. Goalies like Brodeur had methodically practiced and honed their puck-playing abilities over the years. Before the trapezoid rule, a goalie's opportunity to race into the corner and clear out the puck could help create scoring chances for their own team and nullify offensive attacks from the opposing team. Brodeur figures that with the new rule, he plays the puck 20% less than he used to.
Leaf perspective: Unfortunately the Toronto Maple Leafs do not have a natural puck-playing goaltender like Martin Brodeur or Marty Turco. Ed Belfour was perhaps the best puck-playing goalie the Leafs ever had but he has long since retired. Jonas Gustavsson seems to have established himself as the #1 goalie for the time being. Unfortunately for Leaf fans, every time Gustavsson attempts to play the puck you can't help but cringe. His poor puck playing skills have resulted in a number of turnovers and a goal against the Dallas Stars. Thankfully, with help from goalie guru Francois Allaire, Gustavsson is getting some much-needed training on playing the puck behind the net. Let's all hope that training kicks in very soon. In case you were wondering, Toronto's back-up goalie Vesa Toskala isn't too great at playing the puck either.
There is an upside and a downside to the removal of the trapezoid rule from the Leafs perspective. On the one hand it would surely help to prevent injuries like the one sustained by defenseman Mike van Ryn. On the other hand, other teams like the New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars would get much more of an advantage against the Leafs because of their gifted puck-playing goaltenders.
In this year's GM meeting they have voted unanimously to keep the goalie trapezoid. However, if injuries continue to occur, and goalies continue to protest, there is every indication that this rule will be reviewed again in the future.
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