5:36 pm: The NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Coleman will be suspended for one preseason and regular-season game. He’ll miss Calgary’s season opener on the road in Edmonton on October 16th, but will be back for their home opener on October 18th against the Anaheim Ducks.
12:03 pm: The Department of Player Safety has some more work to do, as Blake Coleman will have a hearing today following his hit on Jansen Harkins last night. The Calgary Flames forward hit Harkins while he was already down on his knees, driving his head into the boards. Coleman was issued a boarding penalty and then later in the game received a misconduct along with Harkins when the two came together again.
Because Harkins did not suffer a major injury on the play and Coleman does not have a history of suspension at the NHL level, the penalty here should not be excessive. Still, the hearing implies that the Flames will be without his services for at least the final preseason game tomorrow night, if not the first game of the regular season as well.
This actually isn’t the first incident of Coleman checking from behind. In the NCAA tournament in 2015, Coleman was given a suspension after receiving his third misconduct of the season. The first two were for checking from behind, while the third was for delivering a check to the head. The 29-year-old forward has made a living playing a hard, physical game and often coming right up to the line, and this time appears to have stepped over it. He’ll have to face the consequences, with a decision expected later today.
If his name was Kadri he would have got 4+ postseason games.
Does he forfeit salary for the suspension?
For the regular season game yes.