It's Year 2 of the new labor agreement, which was ushered in with rule changes to emphasize speed and finesse over the constant physical contact that often involved clutching and grabbing to slow down the faster players. Everyone went along with the changes last season, when players and owners alike had to be happy to simply have games being played. This year, however, notes SI.com columnist Darren Eliot, "there seems to be a rising level of frustration now tha all involved have had time to analyze and adjust to today's game." Eliot writes that coaches and players now are thinking more about what the changes mean to the game long-term, and not everyone is pleased. He believes that the defensive game has become too passive, with defenders more likely to focus on positioning to block passing lanes and fishing for the puck in a stick-on-stick battle with very little physical contact. The risk of landing in the penalty box, sometimes for what Eliot calls a perceived "intent to hook or hold," discourages physical play and body checking. He cites a growing frustration among skaters about how the game is played without the puck. Eliot believes a less-physical game flies in the face of increased divisional play that was expected to create history and hostility between rival franchises, but that may be less likely to develop in today's game. A more physical game that reverts back to old rules to some degree is likely to bring down scoring, another key concern of the NHL going into labor negotiations a few years ago. Scoring had dropped off markedly over the previous decade, so the league had to decide how to balance the need for scoring with the thrills of rough play. In the second year of the new rules, there are more than a few players who are more interested in boosting the toughness of the game.