I would add, not only is there less time and space to move, there’s also less time to think.
I see a lot more hits today that would have been regarded as reckless or inadvisable.
Yeah. Pretty much since the introduction of the short~shift, cycle game. The NHL when they removed the Center Ice Red-Line in order to "open up the game" while well intended has actually created a sort of inverse result whereby it opened up alrighty, opened it up to even higher speed hitting. These guys are goin full~out for 45-50-55 seconds, super high-energy sprinters, a game of constant passing, less time to legally make contact, the players simply dont have the time to really line a guy up properly as he's only holding the puck for maybe 2-3 seconds (even less, just watch all the one-timer passes & shots you see every single game - its almost like their playing scared, of the puck, of each other, of the guy behind the bench, the eye in the sky monitoring every move for later dissection, evisceration) but once committed to the "hit" they cant stop themselves mid charge or in the worst, most egregious cases of recklessness, mid-flight. No brakes.
Rare do we ever see anyone actually carrying the puck but for the Special Team PK though even then depending on the Coach a great many just dumping it into the opposite end when & if they manage to gain puck possession. You certainly dont see any Orr like Ragging of the puck on a PK or Daredevil moves by a player on the PK in taking matters into his own hands with a solo charge, going deep, shorthanded goal. Be Benched. Sent to the Press Box indefinitely or the Minors.... On a PP or at even strength a Perrault or take your pick type rush, guy beating all 5 opponents, freaking out enough of them as to leave one or more of his linemates open for that perfect setup, an Assist on the subsequent Goal & so on.
Most unfortunate situation, state of play, no easy answers. A considerable number of former players, Superstars & Journeymen alike who played through the waning years of the 06 era, into the 70's, some into the 80's; some who came of age in the 70's & 80's now retired... a lot of them calling for a time-out, change. That what's happened & happening is not only unsafe but that the changes wrought have eaten away the very core of the game itself. Robbed it of its soul, conscience, artistry & beauty. Too much science, mechanization, manipulation, micro-management from amateur on up. And no, these are not just "Old~Guys" shaking their fists at the clouds telling everyone how much better everything was or that they were in comparison to todays players, how much better the game was back in the old~days. Anyone who's ever played the game at an appreciable level or even just a knowledgeable fan of at least 3-4 decades and more sharing the same sentiments almost universally really.
