Oh, man. You haven't seen an NHL game recently, have you?
Things started to improve when they eliminated the "delayed off-side" dump-in. Now, if the defensive team gets the puck out of the zone, the offensive player who gains possession in the neutral zone actually has to pass it or carry it around while his teammates clear the zone. As a result, there is much more of an emphasis these days on mobile defensemen with puck-handling skills.
My complaint about most sports these days is that the playing areas have shrunk so much due to the increased size and speed of the modern athlete. Every sport should immediately increase the size of its playing surface by 10%-20% to restore some excitement to the games.
Increasing playing area is a good idea. I believe that the Europeans play on bigger ice surfaces. That's why I like watching ice hockey in the Olympics. If that brand of faster, more wide-open hockey came to the NHL, we'd have a much better game.