It’s not clear what punishment if any Garnet Hathaway will receive from the league for spitting at Erik Gudbranson last night, but Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that a suspension is possible. (Update: Hathaway will have a hearing on Wednesday morning) The Capitals are preparing to make some roster moves to accommodate the potential discipline.
Hathaway was involved in a fight with several Anaheim Ducks players after Brendan Leipsic landed a big hit, and ended up spitting at Gudbranson while the officials separated them. The incident came with a match penalty that includes an automatic review of the situation and potential suspension. For a team like the Capitals that are pushed right up against the salary cap ceiling, even losing a player like Hathaway (who carries a $1.5MM cap hit) creates a tricky situation.
- There was a familiar face at the Vegas Golden Knights morning skate today, as Valentin Zykov re-joined the group after serving the first part of his suspension. Zykov was suspended 20 games for testing positive for a banned substance, but is allowed to return to practice ten days before the end of it. He is eligible to return to game action on November 29th against the Arizona Coyotes.
- It has been widely reported that Ilya Kovalchuk is due a portion of his signing bonus on December 15th, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic clarifies exactly how much will be paid out. Kovalchuk will earn another $2.65MM that day, at which point there will be less than $5MM total remaining on his $18.75MM contract.
Dec 16 trade to the Devils with Toffoli and Brickley for P.K.