Matt Cooke's hit on Marc Savard continues to keep the fans, players and media talking. Ahem.

In the wake of the Cooke-Savard hit, as well as a host of other gut-wrenching incidents, the NHL general managers decided to ban blind-side headshots - next season. The delay was decried by fans and pundits, and now it appears the ban on blind-side headshots will be fast-tracked. A select group of general managers have asked for the process to be expedited so that officials can start enforcing the rule immediately. While it is unclear ultimately whether or not the rule change will take place before the end of the season, when the players are informed of the prohibited actions, suspensions could be issued for such acts this season - even if the rule change doesn't come into effect until next season. The change appears an inevitability at this point, as all parties in principal are in agreement - the NHL Players' Association has for some time now called for a ban on all checks to the head.

In other NHL news, fans of online betting should note that the Vancouver Canucks' Mikael Samuelsson will be out for 2-3 weeks following a shoulder injury. The news is a blow to the Canucks, who depend on the talented winger as a high-scorer. The team has recalled forward Michael Grabner from the American Hockey League to take Samuelsson's place. Grabner last played with the team in October, and has 11 goals and 15 assists in 38 games with the Manitoba Moose. For sportsbook oddsmakers, it is not expected that Samuelsson's absence will derail the team significantly.