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Paul Byron Suspended Three Games

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The Department of Player Safety has decided that Paul Byron’s hit on MacKenzie Weegar was deserving of a suspension, and have issued a three-game ban to the Montreal Canadiens forward. The accompanying video explains exactly why the league felt three games was the appropriate punishment:

It is important to note that this is not a case where a player comes off the ice after contact due to the force of the hit. This is also not a case where slightly as part of a natural hitting motion when delivering a full-body hit into a larger player. Byron launches himself excessively upwards, coming off the ice to deliver the hit and in the process makes significant and forceful head contact. While we recognize that Weegar is turning as he makes a play on the puck, the onus is on Byron not to elevate excessively and launch into the hit.

Byron, not known by any standard as being a dirty player in the league, has released his own statement on the incident.

I accept and respect the decision made by the Department of Player Safety. I would like to make it clear I had no intention of causing injury or finishing my check through MacKenzie Weeger’s (sic) head. I think my history and the way I conduct myself on the ice show a lack of intent to injure other players. Despite the lack of intention, I have to accept responsibility for my hit and realize the result of the hit was to the head and caused injury. I would like to sincerely apologize for my hit and wish MacKenzie all the best and hope he is okay. I’ve learnt a lesson through this and will make sure any future hits result in a clean and legal fashion.

Though first-time offenders rarely get three games, the league also took into account that Weegar suffered an injury on the play. That will force Byron to sit out for a week, missing games against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers and Arizona Coyotes. Unfortunately, that takes the Canadiens right up to the All-Star break and CBA mandated bye week, meaning he won’t actually be able to suit up for the team until February 2nd.

San Jose Sharks’ Erik Karlsson Suspended Two Games

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The Department of Player Safety announced that they have suspended San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson two games for an illegal check to the head Saturday against Los Angeles Kings forward Austin Wagner. Karlsson is expected to miss two Pacific Division contests, including tonight’s game against Arizona and then a Dec. 27 game against the Anaheim Ducks. Karlsson will be eligible to return on Dec. 29 in Edmonton.

It’s a blow for San Jose, who have seen an uptick in production from their big offseason acquisition. Karlsson has scored 11 points over the past 10 games (all assists). The incident occurred 2:33 into the second period when Karlsson checked Wagner in the neutral zone with his shoulder that appeared to hit Wagner’s head. Karlsson admitted Saturday that it was an accident.

“It’s one of those plays, I’m closing (the) gap, and he skates into me,” he said. “I don’t really even lean into him. I’m in his lane, and just shoulder-to-shoulder hit. Unfortunately he went down hard and he didn’t come back, and I hope he’s OK, but at the end of the day it’s a hockey play.”

Karlsson has never been suspended in his career and was fined just once for a slash in 2012. Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement and based on his annual average salary, Karlsson will forfeit $69,892.48, which will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Snapshots: Melnyk, Burakovsky, AHL

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The Ottawa Senators’ Lebreton Flats arena bid was dealt an expected death blow when owner Eugene Melnyk filed a $700MM lawsuit against his former partner John Ruddy, who was part of the group trying to acquire the development rights to the area. Now Ruddy has filed his own counterclaim, seeking more than $1 billion according to the Canadian Press. In the counterclaim Trinity Development, Ruddy’s company, alleges:

CSMI’s and Melnyk’s true aim is to have the City of Ottawa or Trinity fund and build the $500 million event centre for the Ottawa Senators hockey team, with the Senators getting 30 years’ free rent. CSMI also wants the valuable naming rights and an unreasonable degree of control over the Lebreton project.

Meanwhile, Melnyk’s group has issued a statement offering to amend the original plan and have Trinity fund the project but also take all of the expected profits. Though not technically dead, it does seem like a difficult path forward for the Senators to try and get a new arena near the downtown core. Lebreton was arguably their best chance for now, meaning they’ll be stuck dealing with the arena in Kanata going forward. That rink is far from the city center and difficult for many fans to get to, especially for weekday games.

  • While Andre Burakovsky’s name has surfaced in trade rumors recently, Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post is quick to point out that the Washington Capitals are not necessarily shopping the young forward around at this time. Though they would certainly listen to offers, the hope is that Burakovsky can turn things around on his own and be the productive middle-six forward that they have hoped he would be for some time. The 23-year old has just eight points this season and has never fulfilled the promise he showed as a young forward in Sweden or the OHL. Burakovsky is also a restricted free agent at the end of the season with arbitration rights, which could certainly give any acquiring team pause given his salary is already at $3MM this year.
  • The AHL announced multiple suspensions today, handing out a two-game ban to Matt Puempel and a three-game ban to Stephen Gionta. The two forwards, playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins and Bridgeport Sound Tigers respectively, will have to sit out a few contests over the holiday season following their supplementary discipline.

Mark Giordano Suspended For Two Games

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The Department of Player Safety announced that Flames defenseman Mark Giordano has received a two-game suspension from a kneeing incident involving Minnesota center Mikko Koivu on Thursday night.  In addition, the league also revealed that winger Ryan Lomberg has also been suspended one additional game on top of the automatic one-game suspension he received for instigating a fight in the final five minutes of that same contest.

Koivu sustained an injury on the play which may have factored into the league’s decision.  The team announced (Twitter link) that Koivu will not play tonight in Edmonton and has been sent home by the team for further evaluation.  There is no timetable for his return and his loss will certainly be felt as he sits tied for third on the Wild in scoring with 21 points in 27 games.

Both players will miss Calgary’s games against Edmonton and Nashville this weekend and will be eligible to return on Wednesday against Philadelphia.  They’re both first-time offenders so they will forfeit 2/186 of their respective cap hits.  As a result, the suspension will cost Giordano just over $72K while Lomberg loses a little under $8K.

Snapshots: Luongo, Wilson, AHL

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The Florida Panthers have sent Michael Hutchinson back to the minor leagues, indicating that Roberto Luongo is ready to get back into the crease. The veteran goaltender has been dealing with a lower-body injury, and is a huge part of the Panthers’ chances of competing for a playoff spot this year. When he’s healthy and on the ice the team looks almost completely different, despite his .902 save percentage.

Luongo is just 19 games behind Patrick Roy for second on the all-time games played list, and just nine behind Ed Belfour for third on the wins list. Those kind of numbers are going to make him a lock for the Hall of Fame, but it’s the Stanley Cup that remains just out of reach. Luongo will turn 40 in April, but has amazingly only been to the playoffs seven times and has just 70 postseason appearances under his belt. If that number is to increase the Panthers are going to have to put it together in the second two-thirds of the season.

  • As expected, the Philadelphia Flyers have hired Rick Wilson as an assistant coach for the remainder of the season. Wilson, a long-time NHL assistant, had previously been hired by new GM Chuck Fletcher in his previous job for Minnesota. Head coach Dave Hakstol’s job appears to be safe for now, but it seems likely that Fletcher will re-evaluate the entire staff after the season.
  • Two players have earned suspensions in the AHL. Dennis Gilbert of the Rockford IceHogs has been suspended three games for an illegal check to the head, while Alex Gallant of the Chicago Wolves is out for the next two games after earning a match penalty in Sunday’s game. Gallant, a 25-year old undrafted forward, has been suspended multiple times in the past by the AHL and doesn’t have a single point yet this season. Gilbert on the other hand is a third-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in his first professional season.

Mark Borowiecki Suspended For Three Games

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Mark Borowiecki’s return to Ottawa’s lineup didn’t last very long.  In his first game back following a suspension for an elbowing incident against the Bruins, the league announced that he has been suspended for three games for an illegal check on Golden Knights center Cody Eakin on Sunday.

The incident occurred in the first period of the game and Borowiecki was assessed a five-minute major penalty for charging and a game misconduct on the play.  However, the fact that he was just coming off of a suspension likely did not sit well with the Department of Player Safety as it’s their expectation that suspensions are supposed to serve as deterrents moving forward.

The 29-year-old is now viewed as a repeat offender for salary forfeiture purposes, meaning that he will forfeit just under $44K in salary (3/82 multiplied by his $1.2MM salary).  Borowiecki will be eligible to return to Ottawa’s lineup on November 4th against Tampa Bay.  With the Sens down to just 12 healthy forwards and seven defensemen on their roster, they may decide to make a roster move in advance of their game on Tuesday night.

Tom Wilson Will Take Appeal To Neutral Arbitrator

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After receiving no reduction for his 20-game suspension from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman this week, Tom Wilson was given seven days to decide whether he’d take his appeal to a neutral arbitrator. It didn’t take quite that long to make a decision, as John Shannon of Sportsnet confirms that Wilson and the NHLPA will in fact appeal once again. This was not unexpected, as Wilson basically has nothing to lose at this point and could potentially see some of his lost salary returned to him.

When Dennis Wideman followed the same path and saw his suspension for colliding with an official reduced from 20 to 10 games, the Flames defenseman had already missed the original amount. What he did recoup by still appealing to the third party arbitrator was salary, which is part of why the NHLPA and Wilson will continue this course of action. The Washington Capitals forward has already missed nine games this season, and is scheduled to be eligible to return after the team’s November 19th matchup with the Montreal Canadiens. This arbitration process can be lengthy, and there’s a good chance most, if not all of his suspension will have already been served by the time a decision is made.

Bettman released a 31-page decision after a seven hour hearing for the first appeal, which detailed how the Department of Player Safety went about their 20-game decision in the first place. It also hoped that the long ban would serve as a “wake-up call” to Wilson in its conclusion, stating that the previous suspensions had clearly not been effective in deterring his behavior.

NHL Grants Suspended Tom Wilson “Non-Roster Player” Status

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The Washington Capitals activated defenseman Michal Kempny from the injured reserve today, but it’s what they didn’t do that’s making headlines. The Capitals made no corresponding move after adding Kempny to the roster, presumably leaving them with more than the CBA-allotted 23 roster players. How this was possible sent reporters scrambling for information. What they found was both surprising and potentially dangerous.

It turns out that the Capitals had not exceeded the roster limit, as suspended forward Tom Wilson had been granted “non-roster player” status. CapFriendly relays the information from the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan, while adding some context to what that label means. A “non-roster player” does not count against the roster, allowing the Capitals to activate Kempny by discounting Wilson. The CBA states that “non-roster player” status must be specifically granted by the Commissioner  and it is reserved for special instances of non-injury absence. Among the examples given are the birth of a child or bereavement. Notably not present is suspension and there is little precedent for suspended players being placed on this list. Granted, a suspension is a non-injury absence, but use of the “non-roster” exemption begs the question of whether teams should share in the punishment of a suspension.

Wilson’s 20-game suspension for yet another illegal check, this time to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist in the preseason, is obviously a blow to Capitals. They won’t have their menacing power forward for the first quarter of the season, perhaps when they need him most as the defending Stanley Cup champs who everyone wants to play hard against. Yet, shouldn’t Washington also bear the weight of one of their regular players being worthy of such as suspension? Why should the team that employs a frequent offender be given a roster exemption and added flexibility while he remains out? The San Jose Sharks were given this same treatment when Raffi Torres was suspended for half of the 2015-16 season, CapFriendly reports, so the league is seemingly comfortable with using the “non-roster player” exemption for suspensions, but there are certainly reasons that they shouldn’t be.

The next question is where do they draw the line? It seems that the NHL is heading down a slippery slope by using this exemption for suspensions and could be setting a dangerous precedent. Case in point: the Capitals are enjoying Wilson’s “non-roster” status through 20 games for a dirty hit, whereas the Vegas Golden Knights have seemingly not been afforded the same luxury for defenseman Nate Schmidt’s 20-game suspension for a failed drug test on little more than a technicality. Why are the two treated differently? Why aren’t all suspended players exempt from the roster limit? The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler opines that the NHL has gone “down the rabbit hole” with this decision and now nothing is stopping every team from requesting a “non-roster player” exemption for each and every suspension. The league simply can’t go case-by-case and assign “non-roster” status behind the scenes. A can of worms has been opened and a blanket policy on the “non-roster player” status of suspended players seems to be the only solution.

Robert Bortuzzo Suspended For Preseason Games, Season Opener

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St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo faced a disciplinary hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety and the results are in. For elbowing Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny, who remains sidelined, the league announced that they have suspended Bortuzzo for the Blues’ final two preseason games and one regular season game, the team’s season opener on October 4th against the division rival Winnipeg Jets.

Player Safety called Bortuzzo’s hit a blatant case of “elbowing”, describing the situation as the following: “Bortuzzo does not keep his arm close to his chest and deliver a full body check. Instead, he raises his arm up and away from his chest and his forearm and elbow are the only parts of his body to make meaningful contact with Kempny.” They go on to detail Bortuzzo’s previous record with suspensions and fines, acknowledging that he is not a first-time offender.

Curiously, the league did not really treat him as a repeat offender who intended to harm Kempny in this situation. Although it is a three-game suspension in total, the two preseason contests are meaningless. Essentially, Bortuzzo will lose just one real game and will forfeit $6,182.80 in salary, whereas Kempny may miss several games with an expected concussion. The decision isn’t as egregious as the recent mishandling of the Max Domi sucker punch case, but is another miss by the league when it comes to policing the game.

Austin Watson Receives 27-Game Suspension

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Last week, the NHL indicated they would be making a final decision on supplementary discipline for Predators winger Austin Watson, who pled no contest to a domestic assault incident earlier this summer.  That decision has been made and they announced that Watson has been suspended for the first 27 games of the season as well as the entire preseason.  Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that the NHLPA intends to appeal the suspension.

Commissioner Gary Bettman released the following statement:

Today’s ruling, while tailored to the specific facts of this case and the individuals involved, is necessary and consistent with the NHL’s strongly held view that it cannot and will not tolerate this and similar types of conduct.

Watson’s plea came back in late July and at the time, he was given three months of probation and was placed on judicial diversion.  This means that if he complies with all of the terms set, his case will be expunged.

Watson will not be paid for the duration of the suspension and will be eligible to return to Nashville’s lineup on December 3rd.

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