The NHL is constantly evolving, some will say for the best, and others will say for the worst. Now teams are always seeking new strategies in order to have their team at their, 100% of the time.
Paul Bissonette, former NHLer, mostly a glorified AHLer, made quite the statement on the podcast he holds with the former Oilers' player, Ryan Whitney. They had been talking about how long the season was and how hard it was for smaller and younger players who are getting banged up more and more as the season goes on:
Load management is a strategy that's been commonly used in the NBA, where they'd play different players for fewer minutes or even scratch them as the season went on. Lebron James for example has been playing a lesser amount of games as the years have gone by.
Some franchises have used this strategy for the two or three last games in the season when nothing was in play, in order to rest their top players. To suggest that they should start doing it on a constant basis would be outrageous. Isn't longevity or toughness part of the game? A part of what's needed to be amongst the very best in the game?
