Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Suspensions

NHLPA Files Appeal On Behalf Of David Perron

at CDT | by 11 Comments

Sportsnet is reporting that the NHLPA has filed an appeal on behalf of Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron after he was suspended six games for cross-checking Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub on Saturday night. Perron cross-checked Zub after a battle in front of the Senators net turned ugly resulting in Perron’s teammate Dylan Larkin being severely injured after taking multiple shots to the head and neck area from Mathieu Joseph and Parker Kelly. While Larkin lay motionless on the ice, Perron went after Zub and crosschecked him in the face which ultimately resulted in the suspension.

The incident was out of character as Perron doesn’t have a history of suspensions or supplemental discipline. It was certainly a heat of the moment reaction from the 35-year-old but one which will cost him to miss some games. The fact that Perron doesn’t have a history of disciplinary actions could play in his favor while he goes through the appeal process.

Perron’s appeal will go right to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman who will make a decision on the matter. If Bettman opts not to grant Perron the appeal, he can go to an independent arbitrator who will then decide. If the suspension remains in place at six games, the native of Sherbrooke, Quebec wouldn’t be able to return to the Red Wings lineup until their matchup on December 22nd against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The six-game suspension to Perron is the longest suspension handed down by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety in nearly two years and highlighted a busy weekend for George Parros and company.

Erik Gudbranson Receives One-Game Suspension

at CDT | by 7 Comments

The NHL has handed down its second suspension within the last hour, announcing (video link) that Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson has received a one-game ban for acting as the aggressor with Panthers winger Nick Cousins on Sunday.

While chasing a loose puck in the third period, Cousins hit Gudbranson from behind, sending Gudbranson face-first into the boards.  Cousins was initially given a major penalty for his hit but it was dropped to a minor after review, keeping him in the game.  Six minutes later, Gudbranson responded by going after Cousins, throwing him to the ice following a zone entry and then throwing several punches.  He received a minor penalty on the play for instigating along with a five-minute fighting major, and a game misconduct.

Gudbranson will miss Thursday’s game against Toronto and will forfeit $20.8K.  The money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

David Perron Receives Six-Game Suspension

at CDT | by 14 Comments

The Department of Player Safety has reached its verdict on Red Wings winger David Perron, announcing (video link) that they have handed him a six-game suspension for his cross-check on Senators defenseman Artem Zub on Saturday.  The video explains why the suspension was well beyond the norm for a standard cross-check:

This is not a hockey play.  This is an intentional strike with a stick made with the purpose of exacting retribution on an opponent.  Perron takes several strides toward Zub, and, with sufficient time to choose to engage Zub in a different manner, or at the very least ensure that the cross-check is delivered directly to the body, comes up excessively high with his stick and delivers a shot to Zub’s head with force. 

The video also acknowledged that Detroit tried to make the claim that this was not a direct blow to the head but that the league disagrees, saying that “the brunt of the impact of this blow was clearly absorbed by Zub’s head due directly to the actions and choices made by Perron”.

Perron is eligible to appeal the suspension.  It would first be heard by Commissioner Gary Bettman.  If he was to uphold the suspension, Perron would then be eligible to appeal to an independent arbitrator since the suspension is for more than five games.

Perron will forfeit $148.4K as a result of the suspension with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.  Barring the suspension being reduced on appeal, he will be eligible to return on December 22nd against Philadelphia.

Devils’ Brendan Smith Suspended Two Games

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Friday that they’ve suspended Devils defenseman Brendan Smith for two games for slashing Flyers forward Travis Konecny in last night’s contest. Konecny was also fined $5K, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Smith on the same play. Smith will be eligible to return to play on December 7 against the Kraken.

NHL Player Safety described the incident as follows:

With the puck having been cleared to the other end of the ice, Konecny delivers a sharp cross-check to the body of Smith, for which he has been fined. In retaliation, and in complete control of his actions, Smith turns towards Konecny, winds up, and delivers a forceful two-handed strike to Konecny’s arm with his stick. 

Regarding their determination around supplemental discipline, Player Safety issued the following statement:

It is important to note that this is an intentional and forceful slash delivered well away from the puck and solely for the purpose of retribution. This is not a hockey play, nor is this a battle where players are physically engaged and a stick comes up carelessly due to the body contact between the players. Smith is in complete control of his stick at all times, and while we recognize Smith’s assertion that he is cross-checked first in this sequence, players are not excused from illegal acts just because of a prior foul by an opponent. 

Smith has been suspended once before, an eight-game ban during the 2011 preseason while a member of the Red Wings for a hit to the head of then-Blackhawks forward Ben Smith. Given the distance between the two incidents that required supplemental discipline, the previous suspension was not factored into this punishment.

With Smith ineligible to play and star blueliner Dougie Hamilton sidelined with a short-term injury, 2022 second-overall pick Šimon Nemec is expected to make his NHL debut tonight against the Sharks after being recalled this morning.

The 34-year-old Smith had played in all 21 Devils contests this season, oftentimes suiting up as the fourth-line left wing with injuries affecting the team’s forward group. He plays the veteran utility player role well, providing solid possession numbers while averaging 14:43 per game. He does have just two assists on the season, although the 2007 first-round pick hasn’t been relied upon for offensive production in quite some time.

Smith is in his second season with the Devils after spending the majority of his 13-year, 652-game career with the Red Wings and Rangers. In those 652 games, Smith has 33 goals, 92 assists, 125 points, a -5 rating, and 725 penalty minutes.

Ryan Hartman Suspended Two Games

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Wild forward Ryan Hartman has been suspended two games for tripping Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Monday.

As already discussed, Hartman made an apparent slew-foot maneuver on DeBrincat midway through the third period of Sunday’s loss. NHL Player Safety gave the following rationale for the suspension:

It is important to note that Hartman has time and space to take a different angle down the boards in pursuing the puck that does not put him on a course to collide with DeBrincat. Instead, he chooses to approach DeBrincat from behind, and, while reaching for the puck, sweeps both of his feet, causing a dangerous backwards fall to the ice that gives DeBrincat little ability to defend or protect himself. What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the intentional nature of this action, combined with a disciplinary history of related incidents, having been fined twice for slew-footing or tripping his opponents.

Hartman is considered a repeat offender under NHL rules, as he was suspended in April of last season, which also contributed to seeing this play rise to a suspension.

The supplemental discipline creates a salary cap headache for the Wild, who already have enough on their plate to deal with after making a head coaching change today. The Wild now have just 11 forwards on the active roster, as while Hartman does not count against the 23-man limit while suspended, he does count against the salary cap. The Wild will likely opt to roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen with a bare minimum roster of 18 skaters over the next two contests, as none of their seven defensemen are waiver-exempt. The team’s $617K in cap space is not enough to accommodate a recall from AHL Iowa.

Avalanche Forward Colton Fined For Cross-Checking

at CDT | by 1 Comment

NHL.com is reporting that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ross Colton has been fined $5,000 by the Department of Player Safety for his cross-check on New Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier. Colton received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking and has now been assessed the fine, which is the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

On top of the five-minute major and the game misconduct, Colton was also assessed a two-minute boarding penalty for a questionable hit he laid on defenseman Luke Hughes that kickstarted the Meier altercation. Hughes and Colton were racing towards a loose puck when Colton engaged contact from the side before Hughes had ever made a play on the puck. Hughes left the game for a bit but did ultimately return, while Meier remained in the game and scored on the power play that followed Colton’s penalty.

Colton is lucky, given how ugly the cross-check appeared to be on the initial replays. A $5,000 fine is a pretty favorable outcome for the Avalanche player, given that had he been suspended he would have forfeited roughly $50K for each game missed. Colton does not have any history of suspensions or fines during his four-year NHL career.

The money from the fine will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Andrew Mangiapane Receives One-Game Suspension

at CDT | by 9 Comments

6:00 PM: The verdict is in and Mangiapane has been assessed a one-game suspension.  In the video, it’s noted that the league accepted Mangiapane’s contention that he wasn’t intending to drive McCann’s head into the ice and acknowledged that the Flames forward didn’t use his full extension of arms or body weight.  However, he was deemed to have full body control, resulting in the decision to suspend him.  This is the first suspension of his career and he will forfeit just over $30K in salary.

12:05 PM: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has announced that Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane will have a hearing today for cross-checking forward Jared McCann in last night’s game against the Seattle Kraken.

The incident in question occurred at a chaotic moment during yesterday’s 6-3 Flames victory, wherein Mangiapane and other Flames players were making a push in the offensive zone, trying to get a goal past a scrambling Seattle netminder.

Mangiapane fired a backhander towards an open net that was promptly blocked by McCann, who as part of his block slid towards Mangiapane. The puck appeared to stay with McCann after the block, and, in his search for the puck under McCann, Mangiapane delivered a cross-check to the head/neck area of McCann.

McCann immediately recoiled, a whistle was blown, and Mangiapane was assessed a match penalty with a standard 15 penalty minutes added to his record. Now, Mangiapane is facing supplemental discipline by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety and could end up missing games for the Flames.

Any Mangiapane suspension would be a major blow to the Flames, who count on the 27-year-old as one of their more consistent scorers. Mangiapane currently ranks second on the Flames with seven points in 11 games, and losing him for any amount of time would make it even more difficult for the team to climb out of the 3-7-1 hole it has found itself in to start the season.

Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy Suspended Four Games

at CDT | by 10 Comments

Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy has been suspended four games for an illegal check to the head against Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson in Monday night’s overtime win, the NHL Department of Player Safety said today. McAvoy faced a phone hearing earlier today.

This is the third suspension of the 2023-24 regular season and the fourth to stretch into the regular season. Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson is just now gearing up to return from a four-game suspension for charging (and injuring) Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine, while Kings winger Arthur Kaliyev served a four-game suspension split evenly between the preseason and regular season earlier this month. Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton was also assessed a two-game penalty.

In a video explanation for the suspension, NHL DoPS gave the following explanation for the suspension:

It is important to note that both elements of the Illegal Check to the Head rule are satisfied on this play. First, the head is the main point of contact, as McAvoy makes direct, forceful contact with Ekman-Larsson’s head, and it is the head that absorbs the majority of the force of the check. Second, the head contact on this play is avoidable. McAvoy chooses an angle of approach that cuts across the front of Ekman-Larsson’s body, missing his core and picking his head. If McAvoy wants to deliver this hit, he must stay low and choose an angle that hits through Ekman-Larsson’s shoulder and core, rather than one that makes the head the main point of contact. 

McAvoy was assessed a match penalty on the play, which occurred with over ten minutes remaining in regulation and just a few minutes after McAvoy had scored the game-tying goal, by on-ice officials. While not a late hit by league standards, Ekman-Larsson did not have possession of the puck when the collision occurred, and McAvoy’s shoulder area contacted Ekman-Larsson’s face and jaw, swinging his head to the side with force. Ekman-Larsson did not return to the game.

McAvoy’s history with DoPS influenced the length of the suspension. He missed a game during the Bruins’ run to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final due to a suspension, also for an illegal check to the head.

This now means the Bruins will be without their top defense pair for the next couple of games, at least. Matt Grzelcyk left the Florida game due to an upper-body injury and is expected to miss a handful of games. That means a recall is likely for top defense prospect Mason Lohrei, who would make his NHL debut at home against the Maple Leafs on Thursday.

Shane Pinto Suspended 41 Games For Violating NHL’s Sports Wagering Rules

at CDT | by 21 Comments

11:35 a.m.: The NHL has officially announced Pinto’s suspension. The Senators issued a statement on the matter, including in it a statement from Pinto himself which reads:

I want to apologize to the National Hockey League, the Ottawa Senators, my teammates, the fans and city of Ottawa and most importantly my family. I take full responsibility for my actions and look forward to getting back on the ice with my team.

10:43 a.m.: Contrary to expectation, Pinto’s 41-game suspension has been applied retroactively to the Senators’ first game of the season, Friedman reports. That means the clock has already begun on his 41-game absence, and he does not need to sign a contract with Ottawa to begin serving the suspension. That means he will be eligible to return for Ottawa’s 42nd game of the season, a January 21 contest against the Flyers – assuming he’s signed to a contract by then. Coincidentally, Pinto will be eligible to play this season even if he does not sign a contract before the normal December 1 signing deadline for RFAs, says Friedman.

10:12 a.m.: According to reports from TSN’s Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun, Ottawa Senators restricted free agent center Shane Pinto is set to be suspended by the NHL “for activities related to sports wagering.” The suspension could be up to 41 games in length, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman later confirmed the 41-game penalty.

The clock on a suspension cannot start until Pinto is under contract and on the active roster. Garrioch adds that because of the looming suspension, the Senators have ended contract negotiations and “rescinded all previous offers.” That means Pinto will have to sign his qualifying offer – a one-year, $874,125 deal – to begin serving the suspension.

Friedman reports the league has not accused Pinto of wagering on NHL games but that a March 2022 memo from the league states that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is authorized to:

Discipline individuals determined to have engaged in improper gambling activities in any or all of the following respects: expulsion or suspension [for] a definite or indefinite period; cancelling any contract that such individual may have; and/or by imposing a fine. The League will act swiftly and aggressively in penalizing any League or Club personnel determined to have engaged in acts in violation of the NHL Gambling Policy.

An investigation into Pinto’s behavior began over the summer but did not intensify until the past few weeks when a hearing was held with the league, Friedman says. He also believes that Pinto has not asked for a trade despite the ongoing contract negotiations because “he appreciates the organization’s secrecy about the investigation.”

This is the first online sports gambling-related suspension in NHL history. Typically, players suspended without pay for off-ice conduct are not counted against the salary cap – meaning Pinto’s likely prorated $874,125 cap hit for this season won’t factor in until after the suspension has been served.

Ottawa selected Pinto, 22, with the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which he played in all 82 games, far eclipsing his previous career-high of 12, and notched 20 goals and 15 assists for 35 points. Those totals came in some heavy minutes – averaging nearly 16 minutes per game with normal second-line center Joshua Norris missing nearly all of 2022-23 with a shoulder injury. Pinto has also dealt with a significant shoulder injury during his development, which sidelined him for nearly all of 2021-22.

Pinto was expected to play a major depth scoring role on the team this season, anchoring their third line with the help of offseason additions Dominik Kubalík or Vladimir Tarasenko. Yet again, however, the Senators have deviated from expectations early on in the season, failing to get an agreement with Pinto due to cap constraints and now involuntarily being without his services. After losing 6-4 to the division-rival Sabres on Tuesday, the Senators are 3-3-0 through six games and sit sixth in the Atlantic Division.

If Pinto signs his qualifying offer later today before the Senators’ game against the Islanders, the earliest he would be eligible to make his season debut is February 10, 2024, against Toronto. If a qualifying offer signing comes tomorrow, Pinto would need to wait until February 13 against Columbus.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

NHL Upholds Rasmus Andersson’s Four-Game Suspension

at CDT | by 3 Comments

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has upheld the four-game suspension assessed to Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson last weekend, according to a league release. The NHLPA filed an appeal on behalf of Andersson, which resulted in a meeting with Bettman on Monday. As a result, Andersson will remain ineligible to play for the remainder of the month and, notably, in this weekend’s Heritage Classic.

Andersson was assessed the suspension after charging Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine with just seconds remaining in the third period of last Friday’s game. He was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for elbowing on the play, which prompted a hearing with NHL Player Safety the following day. After serving the first game of his suspension in Sunday’s blowout loss against the Red Wings, Andersson will miss Calgary’s three remaining games this month, including tonight’s tilt against the Rangers.

Laine sustained an upper-body injury on the play and is currently on IR, guaranteed to miss at least the rest of this week. In his full ruling on the appeal, Bettman said that the NHLPA only appealed to reduce the suspension to three games, which would have allowed Andersson to participate in the outdoor Heritage Classic. He also said Andersson acknowledged the hit was “not perfect” and said Andersson took responsibility for the play but found the severity of the hit and its timing late in the game warranted the full four-game length.

That means Sunday’s contest against the Oilers, the first outdoor game on the 2023-24 schedule, will take place without Calgary’s number-one defenseman and, likely, without Oilers captain and superstar center Connor McDavid. It’s a tough break for a marquee early-season rivalry game under an already increased spotlight.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top