Gary Bettman Upholds Tom Wilson’s 20-Game Suspension
After an in-person appeal in New York that took more than seven hours, Tom Wilson has not received any reduction of his 20-game suspension. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who heard the appeal, released his decision today to reject the appeal and uphold the full suspension. Wilson now has the option to appeal to a neutral arbitrator, as Austin Watson did for a domestic violence suspension earlier this year.
Coincidentally, tonight will also mark the debut for St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist, who was the target of the hit that earned Wilson the suspension. It was the fourth suspension in the last 105 games for Wilson, an “unprecedented frequency of suspensions in the history of the Department of Player Safety.” The Washington Capitals forward will forfeit more than $1.2MM in salary for the ban, which at this point is the major thing he is fighting for. Having already missed eight, Wilson will likely be out for nearly 20 games by the time any decision is made by a neutral arbitrator. He currently has seven days to file that appeal.
In the decision, which is 31 pages in length, Bettman notes that the NHLPA suggested a suspension of eight games was warranted if they were to accept the fact that he violated Rule 48 for checks to the head—which they did not, given the basis of the appeal. In fact, much of the weight of the decision surrounds the claim that Wilson did not violate Rule 48, as Sundqvist’s head was not the “main point of contact.” This, as well as the argument that Wilson’s history with the Department of Player Safety was unfairly characterized, was summarily dismissed by the commissioner. His decision finishes with a clear statement to Wilson:
One true and fundamental test of effective discipline is whether the discipline is of sufficient strength and impact that it has the effect of deterring the Player being disciplined from repeating the same or similar conduct in the future. By this standard, the supplementary discipline previously assessed to Mr. Wilson prior to this incident has clearly been ineffective in deterring his dangerously reckless play.
I hope that this decision will serve as an appropriate “wake-up call” to Mr. Wilson, causing him to reevaluate and make positive changes to his game.
East Notes: Point, Dzingel, Duchene, Wilson
Lightning GM Julien BriseBois held contract extension discussions this week with the agent for center Brayden Point, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic on TSN’s Insider Trading (video link). However, both sides agreed to shelve those talks until after the season. He made quite an impact for Tampa Bay last year with 32 goals and 34 assists and is off to a strong start in 2018-19 with four points in as many games heading into tonight’s contest. That’s going to have him in line for a significant raise on the league-minimum $650K salary ($686K cap hit) that he’s receiving this season even though he won’t have salary arbitration rights. However, it won’t be until the offseason now until he finds out how much his next deal will be for.
Elsewhere in the East:
- The Senators are expected to have winger Ryan Dzingel back in the lineup on Saturday against Montreal, notes TSN’s Brent Wallace (Twitter link). He has missed the last two games due to a lower-body injury. Meanwhile, while the team was hopeful that defenseman Cody Ceci (upper body) and winger Alex Formenton (concussion) would also be ready to play Saturday, head coach Guy Boucher indicated that both will be out until next week at the earliest.
- Still with the Senators, center Matt Duchene confirmed to reporters, including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, that his agent held preliminary extension discussions with GM Pierre Dorion earlier this week. It’s expected that if an agreement can’t be reached between now and the trade deadline in February that he will wind up being dealt as a rental player. Duchene has a $6MM cap hit with a $6.5MM salary this season and it’s likely that his next contract will eclipse that.
- Tom Wilson’s suspension appeal with the league was a lengthy one, reports Sportsnet’s John Shannon (Twitter link), who notes that the hearing took over seven hours altogether. However, no ruling from Commissioner Gary Bettman is expected until next week as he will use the weekend to review the transcripts. Wilson has served the first six games of a 20-game suspension and is currently eligible to return to the Capitals lineup on November 21st.
Tom Wilson’s Appeal Set For Thursday In New York
After Tom Wilson was given a 20-game suspension from the Department of Player Safety just before the start of the season, the wheels were almost immediately put in motion on an appeal through the NHLPA. The first such appeal, in which Wilson’s representation will be able to argue their case in front of commissioner Gary Bettman, will take place tomorrow in New York according to John Shannon of Sportsnet. Wilson has already sat out the Washington Capitals first five games, and will obviously miss a sixth tonight against the New York Rangers.
If the commissioner does not find reason to reduce the suspension, Wilson can then appeal through a neutral arbitrator similar to Austin Watson. Watson’s suspension was reduced from 27 games to 18, though that ban was for a domestic assault conviction and not an on-ice incident.
When the league’s Department of Player Safety handed out Wilson’s suspension, it noted that no other player had been given supplementary discipline at such a rate. This was Wilson’s fourth suspension in just over 100 games, and one that could define his career. If he were to return and be involved in a similar incident, there could be reason to suspend him for another huge chunk of games if not the remainder of the season. The appeal though could save Wilson quite a bit of money even if it comes down after the fact, just as Dennis Wideman did when his suspension was reduced after already serving more than 10 games.
Metropolitan Notes: Flyers Goaltending, Jones, Islanders, Wilson
The Flyers are open to the idea of keeping three goaltenders on their roster when Michal Neuvirth returns from his groin injury, GM Ron Hextall acknowledged to Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer. While Hextall admitted that doing so wouldn’t be ideal, the injury histories of Neuvirth and Brian Elliott present a compelling case to keep Calvin Pickard around even when that duo is intact to give them some extra insurance. Neuvirth has resumed skating with the team and isn’t expected to be out too much longer.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While Seth Jones is still expected to miss another two-to-four weeks after tearing a ligament in his right knee in the preseason, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen indicated to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that his rehab is progressing as anticipated. Jones’ absence has left a big void on the back end in Columbus and David Savard has been pressed into top pairing duty while he’s out of the lineup.
- Islanders owner Jon Ledecky provided an update to Newsday’s Andrew Gross and Jim Baumbach regarding the Belmont Park arena timeline. The hope is that the project will begin in May with an anticipated opening in October of 2021. New York is currently splitting home dates between Brooklyn and Nassau County and will likely continue to do so until this new arena opens.
- Capitals winger Tom Wilson’s appeal hearing will be held on Thursday, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). Commissioner Gary Bettman will hear the appeal and if his 20-game suspension is upheld, it can further be appealed to the neutral arbitrator, Shyam Das, who made headlines earlier this week with the reduction of Austin Watson’s suspension. Wilson remains ineligible to play throughout the appeals process and will miss his fifth game tonight.
Tom Wilson Will Appeal Suspension
Friday: The NHLPA has officially filed an appeal on Wilson’s behalf which will be heard by Gary Bettman on an as yet undetermined date.
Thursday: As many expected as soon as the hefty 20-game suspension was handed out, Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson will appeal the decision. Head coach Todd Reirden confirmed as much to reporters today including Chris Kuc of The Athletic, after Wilson took part in the team’s Stanley Cup celebration before their season opener last night.
The Department of Player Safety gave Wilson such a long suspension because of his recent history, noting that no one had ever received supplementary discipline at such a high frequency. This is his fourth suspension in his last 105 games including both preseason and postseason, and the league clearly wanted to send a message to him that he needs to stop being involved in dangerous plays or risk his NHL career. Wilson has always played right on the edge, and though some may argue that this specific incident didn’t warrant such a long suspension he too often is involved in borderline plays.
For the Capitals, they would certainly like to see Wilson back on the ice sooner rather than later—despite their easy 7-0 win over the Boston Bruins last night. While huge offensive totals still may be out of his reach, the power forward is an integral part of their attack and balances out their lineup. Brett Connolly took his place next to Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin last night, but would lengthen out the forward group if he could move further down.
It’s hard to imagine the league will actually reduce the decision, especially because Wilson has already had an in-person hearing to argue his case. If he doesn’t get it reduced, he’ll be forfeiting more than $1.26MM this season, meaning his entire base salary will be given to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Tom Wilson Suspended Twenty Games
The NHL Department of Player Safety has made a statement. Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has been suspended for twenty games following his illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist. The league has clearly had enough of the repeat offender ending up involved in incidents like this, and will have him sit for nearly a quarter of the season. As the accompanying video explains:
Players who repeatedly violate league playing rules will be more severely punished for each new violation. Wilson was suspended on three occasions during the 2017-18 NHL season. On September 22nd, 2017 he was suspended for a late, high hit on Robert Thomas. Just two preseason games later, Wilson was again suspended, this time for boarding Samuel Blais. Seven months later, Wilson was suspended for an illegal check to the head of Zach Aston-Reese. This hit on Sundqvist occurred in only his 16th game since his last suspension, which was also for an illegal check to the head.
In short, including preseason and postseason games played, this is Wilson’s fourth suspension in his last 105 games—an unprecedented frequency of suspensions in the history of the Department of Player Safety.
Wilson will forfeit more than $1.26MM in salary for this suspension, though many are already expecting an appeal or grievance from the NHLPA. If it’s not shortened, Wilson will be out until the Capitals face the Chicago Blackhawks on November 21st.
Poll: How Long Should Tom Wilson Be Suspended For?
It’s that time of year again, when hockey is in the air, fans are pulling on their favorite sweaters and Tom Wilson has a hearing on the books with the Department of Player Safety. The Washington Capitals forward will have an in-person hearing with the league on Wednesday morning ahead of the team’s season opener against the Boston Bruins, but won’t be in the lineup when they raise their Stanley Cup banner to the rafters.
Wilson was suspended three times last season including during the preseason and playoffs, and at this point can validate his parking at the league offices in New York. The definition of a repeat offender, this incident included a head shot on St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist—which resulted in some obvious facial damage—and a match penalty that means he’s currently suspended until a ruling is made later this week. Since the league offered an in-person hearing they can now suspend Wilson for more than five games if they so choose, but it’s not clear if they’ll come down hard on a dangerous, but popular player.
The Department of Player Safety is already off to a shaky start this year after there was outcry at the punishment for Montreal Canadiens Max Domi, who was suspended for the preseason schedule but forfeited no pay and suffered little consequence for his sucker punch of Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. The league also suspended Robert Bortuzzo for two preseason contests and the regular season opener for an elbow, leading the Blues to have to acquire some defensive depth before the season starts.
How long should Wilson sit this time around? Will the league come down hard on a player that can’t seem to stop involving himself in dangerous situations, or continue their slow path of escalation with the Capitals forward? Cast your vote below and let us know in the comments what your decision would be.
How many games should Tom Wilson be suspended for?
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10+ 63% (1,627)
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6-10 22% (569)
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3-5 7% (190)
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None 6% (147)
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1-2 3% (66)
Total votes: 2,599
[Mobile users click here to vote]
Tom Wilson To Have In-Person Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
It was obvious that Tom Wilson would face some supplemental discipline from the league after his hit on St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist, and today the Department of Player Safety announced that the Washington Capitals forward will have an in-person hearing on Wednesday morning. The Capitals are set to open their season that evening when they welcome the Boston Bruins to town, but will likely be without Wilson. If a decision is not reached in time for the game he would still not be allowed to play given his match penalty, but because it is an in-person hearing the league now has the right to deliver a suspension upwards of five games.
There is no hiding that Wilson is in trouble here, as he has an extremely long history with the league’s disciplinary group. Just during the 2017-18 season alone he was suspended three times, and was involved in several other incidents that were looked at by the league. Wilson himself has admitted that he has to try and avoid his dangerous hits, but so far there is little indication that he can realistically do it. In fact, that physical style may be what secured him such a healthy contract in the offseason. Wilson signed a six-year, $31MM contract with the Capitals in July despite scoring just 104 points in his 391 career regular season games. Granted, he was a dominant force in the postseason for Washington en route to a Stanley Cup but there are few comparable contracts in terms of offensive production. It’s his on-the-edge play that sets him apart, but also may lead to his demise for the start of the year and for long stretches throughout the contract.
It’s been this way for Wilson for a long time, turning a nine-goal campaign with the Plymouth Whalers in 2011-12 into a first-round draft selection and then fighting and checking his way to a spot beside Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin on the Capitals top line. He’s an extremely important player for the team, but incidents like this will only continue to escalate in punishment going forward. If the league hands out a long suspension to start the year, he’ll be treading on thin ice every time he uses his size and speed to attack an opponent physically.
Atlantic Notes: Vasilevskiy, Eichel, Backes, Evans
Despite an impressive season in the net, Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy learned one valuable lesson by the end of the year: Rest is a good thing. The 24-year-old netminder put up amazing numbers, including playing in a career-high 65 games and posting a .920 save percentage (also a career-high) which was good enough to earn him third place in the Vezina Trophy voting. Regardless, Vasilevskiy wore down in the second half, saying he was both physically and mentally fatigued by the end of the season.
Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required) writes the response was to take two months off from hockey this summer. Vasilevskiy had never played more than 50 games in a season before last year and finished fourth in games played behind Cam Talbot, Frederik Andersen and Sergei Bobrovsky. Tampa Bay goaltending coach Frantz Jean said the ideal number should be between 55 to 65 games. However, Vasilevskiy has changed many of his routines within the last six months in order to rest his body more and more, including doing post-game workouts immediately after games, so he can rest his body completely on off days.
“I think it was hard for him in the past to step back, but I think last year once we got to that second half of the season, I think he was actually open to taking a little more time off,” Jean said. “When we’re going in practice, we go hard. We work hard. I think he understood he needed that rest time, to allow his body and mind to kind of refresh.”
- Count Jack Eichel as a player that is really looking forward to training camp this season after a successful offseason for the Buffalo Sabres, according to NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. The 21-year-old superstar who saw his team struggle with constant losing the last couple of years sees an immediate change in the clubhouse. The Sabres drafted Rasmus Dahlin with the first-overall pick this year, traded for Jeff Skinner, Conor Sheary and signed goaltender Carter Hutton as well as add quite a bit of veteran depth to the team. “There’s a lot of new faces in there,” Eichel said. “So I think a lot of the people with a sour taste in their mouths from the last few years have either gotten over it or aren’t in the locker room anymore. I think it’s a good opportunity for us to just prove ourselves to the League and prove ourselves to ourselves.”
- After an injury plagued year for the Boston Bruins, forward David Backes re-dedicated himself this offseason, according to Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont. The 34-year-old winger has seen his game decline over the past three years and found himself putting up just 14 goals and 33 points in 57 games. However, he lost 10 pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame and now stands a much leaner 210 pounds, which he hopes can help him increase his speed and help him avoid injuries this season. Backes, who is signed for another three seasons at $6MM per year, is hoping to move up from the third line last year to a top-six role this season. “I’ve played with a 220-pound frame for 8-10 years in the league, and now it’s going to be a little lighter and a little leaner,” Backes said. “It’s my attempt to adapt to what changes have gone on in the league. It might just swing back the other way and be a heavier, harder league. But it’s certainly more skillful and quick, and that’s just the realization I had to make.”
- NHL.com’s Matt Cudzinowski writes that Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans has high hopes to make the team out of training camp this year. The 22-year-old, who finished four years at Notre Dame, last offseason is finally healthy after requiring surgery in May to repair a sports hernia and now hopes he can take on his next challenge as he’s been practicing with Dallas’ Tyler Seguin and Washington’s Tom Wilson this summer. As a senior, he tallied 13 goals and 46 points last season for the Fighting Irish and now hopes to take his talents directly to Montreal. “I want to go in with a mindset of making the Canadiens, but I also need to go in open-minded and ready to learn from guys who’ve been there for a long time – how they handle their bodies, how they act,” concluded Evans.
Metropolitan Notes: Capitals, Nelson, Zibanejad, Myers
If it ain’t broke. Don’t fix it. At least that seems to be what the Washington Capitals believe. After capturing the Stanley Cup last season, the team completed one of its final moves when it locked up forward Tom Wilson to a six-year, $31-year deal. And suddenly, the team miraculously has managed to bring back almost its entire roster for next season, according to J.J. Regan of Yahoo Sports.
While all teams are forced to shake up their roster and allow for the losses of free agents after each season, the Capitals are an unusual situation, considering the number of potential free agents as well as how tight their salary cap has been over the past two years. It wasn’t going to get any better, yet still, the team still was able to re-sign stud defenseman John Carlson (eight years, $64MM) as well as find a creative way to trade defenseman Brooks Orpik to Colorado and then bring him back after the Avalanche waived him. They also managed to hold onto trade deadline acquisition Michal Kempny (four years, $10MM).
Sure, the team did suffer a couple of losses, including the loss of fourth-line center Jay Beagle and backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer. However, the team has people ready to step into those positions, including prospect Travis Boyd, free agent acquisition Nic Dowd as well as place long-time minor leaguer Pheonix Copley to fill in for a year, while the team waits for superstar prospect Ilya Samsonov to develop in the AHL for a year.
- Andrew Gross of Newsday wonders whether the New York Islanders would consider moving center Brock Nelson for a defenseman, now that the 26-year-old has agreed to a one-year, $4.25MM deal with the team. With quite a bit of youth in the wings and the team in desperate need for blueline help and the fact that Nelson could walk away from the team as an unrestricted free agent next season, a trade might make a lot of sense. Nelson has been quite productive for New York, posting at least 19 goals in his last four seasons.
- The Athletic’s Rick Carpinello (subscription required) analyzes and grades the season of New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad, who took over the team’s No. 1 center position last season after the team traded away Derek Stepan. Many of the same questions about Stepan not being a No. 1 center now have fallen to Zibanejad. Yet, the 25-year-old definitely took his game up a notch, posting a career-high 27 goals in 72 games, but once again suffered an injury that interrupted his season. It marks the second straight year that Zibanejad has struggled with injuries, which is a concern and the center still must work on his consistency, including the fact that he posted no goals and one assist in the final seven games.
- Dave Isaac of the Cherry Hill Courier Post writes that if the Philadelphia Flyers are impressed by the play of 6-foot-5 prospect Philippe Myers in training camp this year, that could impact the role of defenseman Radko Gudas, who could then be on his way out as Myers physicality could replace Gudas role as well as the fact that Myers and Travis Sanheim were a great pair when they were together with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL.