Blackhawks notebook: Another change to faceoff rule causes confusion

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The NHL seemingly tweaks faceoff rules every season, hoping to help offenses and increase scoring by the slightest amounts.

This season, the league supposedly has banned players from dropping to one knee to win draws, Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said Saturday. And new Hawks forward Colin Blackwell, perhaps aided by his Harvard degree, has kept his eyes peeled for potential violations.

‘‘I don’t know how many times he was yelling at the referee last game because they were dropping to one knee,’’ Richardson said. ‘‘I quickly pointed out [Hawks center] Max [Domi] did it once, too, so just be a little quieter.’’

The Hawks thought Golden Knights center William Karlsson frequently was skirting the new rule Thursday. But Richardson is skeptical the change, enforced or not, will make a substantial difference.

‘‘I don’t know how that is going to [increase scoring],’’ he said. ‘‘Because if you’re in the offensive zone, you’re going to do everything you can to try to win that draw.

‘‘The one that they took out, where the [Zenon] Konopka guy would just lock your stick down and use his free hand or glove on [the puck] . . . that made sense. This other one, I’m not really sure how much that makes sense. But that’s just the rules we’ve got to play.’’

Oilers hire Keith

Three months after retiring as a player, former Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith has landed his first front-office gig. Keith, who spent his final season with the Oilers in 2021-22, was hired by the Oilers on Friday as a player-development consultant.

He’ll coach and advise Oilers prospects in juniors and the American Hockey League, filling a role similar to former teammate Brian Campbell’s initial job in the Hawks’ front office.

News for Roos

Defenseman Filip Roos has been poised and composed in his first few NHL games, which also have been his first games in North America. Off the ice, however, the 23-year-old Swede has been a bit more wide-eyed.

‘‘It’s a new country and everything like that, [but] I’m just trying to be focused on the game and on the practices,’’ Roos said Thursday. ‘‘It’s a new thing for me, but it’s getting better and better.’’

His reaction to the Hawks’ trip to Las Vegas was hilarious.

‘‘I said to the boys, when we were out walking, that it’s like a movie going out there,’’ he said with a grin. ‘‘It’s just unreal.’’