Colton Sissons, Evander Kane Earn Fines
The NHL Department of Player Safety has handed out a pair of fines today, deciding against suspensions for both Nashville Predators forward Colton Sissons and Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane.
Kane has earned a $5,000 fine for kneeing Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean Durzi in last night’s game, the maximum allowable under the CBA. The incident in question took place in the second period, with Kane extending his leg to get a piece of Durzi as the puck was sent up ice. The Oilers forward received a two-minute minor penalty for the hit and will now lose a bit of cash as well.
Sissons meanwhile has earned a $2,500 fine for spearing Ottawa Senators forward Josh Norris in last night’s match. That amount is notably not the maximum, and Sissons did not receive a penalty from the on-ice officials.
While they’ve avoided suspensions this time, both incidents will go on the record for Kane and Sissons, meaning any future transgressions could be penalized more harshly. Still, given how important every game is down the stretch, being available for their teams is obviously the most important thing.
OHL Announces Fine, Indefinite Suspension For Niagara Management
The OHL has announced a $150,000 fine and two indefinite suspensions for Niagara Ice Dogs general manager Joey Burke and head coach Billy Burke following an investigation into “overall conduct.” Both men are also minority owners of the team. The league announced that the investigation revealed conduct that is “prejudicial to the welfare of the OHL” and “runs counter to the OHL’s Onside program, which emphasizes the importance of demonstrating respect for women through actions and words.”
Joey and Billy Burke will be eligible to apply for reinstatement on June 1, 2024. At that time, OHL commissioner David Branch will assess whether they have successfully completed necessary counseling and education. The investigation began after the league received transcripts of a March 6, 2022 WhatsApp conversation.
The Ice Dogs are currently in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 22-38-4 record. The team has not yet released a statement on the suspension or announced who will be taking over either position.
Nino Niederreiter Receives One-Game Suspension
The Department of Player Safety has made a quick decision regarding Carolina’s Nino Niederreiter. They announced (video link) that the Hurricanes winger has been suspended for one game for his hit on Washington winger Axel Jonsson-Fjallby.
The incident occurred at 13:50 of the first period during Carolina’s 4-3 shootout loss on Friday. He was assessed a minor penalty for slashing at the time. Niederreiter was checked into Washington’s bench, losing his helmet along the way. Once he had freed himself, he slashed the Capitals winger in the helmet.
In their video, it was noted that the minimal force that Niederreiter used to hit Jonsson-Fjallby is the sole reason why the suspension isn’t for longer than the one game. Niederreiter will miss Sunday’s game against the Rangers and will be eligible to return to Carolina’s lineup on Tuesday against the Lightning. He will forfeit $26.25K as a result of the suspension with the money going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Calvin De Haan Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine
Not only does the Department of Player Safety have a hearing with Ross Johnston of the New York Islanders today, but some more supplementary discipline was on their plate. Calvin de Haan of the Chicago Blackhawks has earned a $2,500 fine for a dangerous trip on Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield.
The incident in question happened partway through the third period as Caufield tried to skate around the Blackhawks’ net. The trip, which appeared to be a clear slew-foot, went unpenalized by the on-ice officials. The league has been seeing a huge increase in these kinds of incidents this season, with Brad Marchand and Kevin Labanc both earning slew-footing suspensions and P.K. Subban earning multiple fines.
There are some who credit the crackdown on cross-checking as the reason why these trips have seemingly increased, though obviously, the league believes something like this is not worthy of a suspension. Caufield did not suffer a serious injury on the play. While it isn’t a suspension, the incident will still be considered in any future disciplinary decisions involving de Haan.
Ross Johnston To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Department of Player Safety has some more work to do. The league has announced that Ross Johnston of the New York Islanders will receive a hearing today for his illegal check to the head of New Jersey Devils forward A.J. Greer. The incident happened early in the first period of last night’s game and resulted in a two-minute minor penalty.
Greer did not seem to suffer a serious injury on the play and eventually returned, though the Devils’ coaching staff indicated to reporters after the game that he was still being evaluated by the medical staff. Johnston meanwhile earned another roughing penalty later in the game and will now face stiffer consequences for the first period hit.
The DoPS has handed out two suspensions so far in 2022 and will likely now have a third, given the usual outcome of hearings. Some may remember Johnston’s 15-game suspension in junior, but that will not be taken into account here. In his 95-game NHL career, Johnston has not yet been suspended.
Chris Wideman Suspended One Game
The Department of Player Safety has issued the second suspension of 2022, banning Montreal Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman for one game. The head-butting incident that earned Wideman a suspension came in the third period of last night’s game against Erik Haula of the Boston Bruins. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that Wideman’s helmet makes clear, intentional, and direct contact with Haula’s face and head. This is not an occasion where two players accidentally or inadvertently collide in a scrum. Rather, this is an unacceptable and intentional head-butt delivered to an opponent’s face with some force.
Notably, Wideman has not been fined or suspended previously, leading to a bit of leniency on behalf of the DoPS. Haula also did not suffer a serious injury like some other suspendable plays, meaning a one-game ban was always the likely outcome for the Canadiens defenseman.
This incident will be included on Wideman’s record moving forward, however, meaning any further supplementary discipline could come with a higher penalty. For now, he’ll forfeit $3,750 and have to miss Montreal’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks this evening.
Columbus Blue Jackets Suspend Gregory Hofmann
Jan 11: EV Zug has announced that once “NHL transfer formalities” are completed, Hofmann will resume his contract there. That would suggest he will be placed on unconditional waivers today.
Jan 10: The Columbus Blue Jackets have decided that a suspension is their only option. Gregory Hofmann has been suspended indefinitely by the team, with general manager Jarmo Kekalainen offering the following explanation:
Gregory was given permission by the club to step away for personal reasons and informed us today that because of those reasons he has decided not to return. Obviously, we are disappointed, but we have no other recourse than to suspend him.
By suspending him without pay, Hofmann’s cap hit will not count toward the Blue Jackets’ total.
The 29-year-old forward signed a one-year, $900K contract with Columbus this offseason after a long career in Switzerland, and had played in 24 games so far this season. Though he had scored just two goals and seven points, his play had been impressive enough to earn more ice time of late, including nearly 20 minutes in his second to last game.
Given a leave of absence in late December, Hofmann’s reason at the time had to do with the birth of his first child. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweets that as recently as yesterday, Kekalainen had expected Hofmann to be back soon.
By suspending him instead of terminating his contract, the Blue Jackets will retain Hofmann’s rights through the end of the season. The Swiss league technically does not have a transfer agreement with the NHL and therefore could theoretically sign him, but they usually respect North American contracts (and related suspensions). Hofmann will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Brett Connolly Suspended Four Games
The verdict is in for Blackhawks winger Brett Connolly. The Department of Player Safety announced (video link) that they have issued him a four-game suspension for his interference incident on Stars winger Tanner Kero on Saturday.
In the video, it was noted that Connolly tried to argue that it was more of a collision than an intentional body check. However, while the league acknowledged that it wasn’t a full-force collision, it was still a suspendable offense:
It is important to note that Kero was never in possession of the puck on this play and therefore is not eligible to be checked in any manner. Fully aware of Kero’s presence and, with a substantial amount of time to change his path, avoid the contact entirely, move toward the wall to seal off the boards, or do more to minimize the impact on Kero, Connolly braces himself for impact and skates directly through his opponent. And because Kero is never close to being in possession of the puck, he is in no way braced for contact, making him substantially more vulnerable.
In the ruling, the league also acknowledged Kero’s injury as a factor but also that Connolly had no prior history of any fines or suspensions. He will forfeit $70K in salary as a result of the suspension which, as always, goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Department Of Player Safety Announces Several Fines
The Department of Player Safety is working this holiday, as they’ve issued a pair of fines for actions in last night’s Winnipeg Jets-Columbus Blue Jackets game. Max Domi has been fined $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct, while Josh Morrissey has earned a $5,000 fine for slashing. Both are the maximum allowable under the CBA.
That’s not all, however, as Ottawa Senators defenseman Nikita Zaitsev has earned a $5,000 fine in his first game back from the COVID protocol for cross-checking Timo Meier of the San Jose Sharks.
Morrissey especially seems lucky to have escaped without a suspension, given the violent slash he gave to Alexandre Texier as an empty-net goal went in. He was given a two-minute minor penalty for the play, but the game was out of reach at that point late in the third period.
Domi meanwhile already received six minutes in penalties during the game, but the league did not reveal what exactly the fine was for. The Blue Jackets forward did cause a scrum to happen after shooting a puck into the net well after the whistle, and attempted to fight an unwilling Evgeny Svechnikov while the linesmen were trying to split them up.
Zaitsev meanwhile cross-checked Meier in the face, though not with the force of some previous incidents that have merited suspensions. He didn’t receive a penalty on the play and Meier did not suffer a serious injury.
Ryan Hartman Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine
The Department of Player Safety has decided that Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman‘s slew foot on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ross Colton did not rise to the level of a suspension, issuing a $4,250 fine instead. The fine is the maximum allowable under the CBA, based on Hartman’s current salary.
The incident, which occurred late in the first period on Sunday night and resulted in a tripping penalty for Hartman. He then received an additional five-minute major for fighting when Zach Bogosian engaged him almost immediately after he exited the penalty box. Colton avoided a serious injury on the play and ended up seeing nearly 16 minutes of ice time in the game.
Slew-footing has become something of a trend in the NHL this season, with several different players earning fines or suspensions for incidents similar to the one that happened in Tampa Bay. Just last week, Kevin Labanc received a one-game suspension for nearly the same thing, with the league including the explanation that “what causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the speed the players are traveling and their proximity to the boards.” Perhaps in the Hartman case, they did not feel it included those same factors.