The league announced the rule today and Chris Johnston shared the following information:
As reported tonight on @TSNHockey "Insider Trading," the NHL is making it mandatory for future players to wear a helmet in pre-game warmups.
The rule applies to those who entered the league in 2019-20 or later. Players who reached the NHL before then are exempt.
The mandate applies to someone like
Cole Caufield, for example. The #habs forward memorably took his solo lap without a bucket before making his NHL debut in April 2021.
This change has zero impact on the game and isn't a problem anyone needed fixing. But Gary Bettman is always looking to have his fingerprints all over the game in one way or another.