Despite considerable media attention paid to both situations, New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban and Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno will not receive any discipline from recent altercations. The NHL Department of Player Safety has reviewed each scenario and determined that neither rises to the level of a suspension or fine.
In the case of Foligno, this appears to be a perfectly appropriate decision. The incident in question occurred on Saturday night as the Wild took on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Just as Foligno had jumped off for a change, a scrum ensued right in front of the Minnesota bench. Foligno got back on the ice to engage with the Leafs’ Wayne Simmonds. Typically, leaving the bench in this scenario would be a an automatic ten-game suspension, one of the NHL’s most harsh penalties. However, as The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports, the league did not consider this to be a case of Foligno leaving the bench, as no one had yet replaced him on the ice. Kirill Kaprizov was supposed to sub in for Foligno, but given the budding altercation in front of him smartly stayed put, which allowed Foligno, who was still straddling the boards, to legally get back on the ice. The Wild just narrowly avoided losing one of their veteran leaders for an extended period of time.
As for Subban, the lack of retribution from the league continues to be a strange phenomenon. Subban appeared to slew foot the Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers on Friday night, though it was not called on the ice. The general understanding in this scenario is that the incident does not meet the league’s textbook definition of “slew foot”. Call what you will, but this shockingly marks his fourth dangerous trip this season. Yet, the veteran defenseman had not received any punishment and Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that this will continue with this latest incident. It remains a mystery how Subban continues to get off scot-free with obvious slew foots, especially when the Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand recently received a three-game suspension for a slew foot that received no attention from the officials nor the visiting Vancouver Canucks. Seravalli states that extra attention is being paid by the league to both Subban and slew foots, yet it made no difference yet again.
Subban is a dirty player. Always has been.
The Subban thing is a major issue. He’s had multiple incidents this year and the league keeps bailing him out saying he doesn’t have history doing this. Like hello NHL he doesn’t have a history with fines and sussi’s because you refuse to give him them in justifiable situations
That’s just it, and maybe by the end of January when he does his 10th slew foot and puts another player out for the season, the league will give him 1 game!
Because he has no suspension history! As you say if they let him get away with it, then of course he has no history.
totally agree this is at least 5 x Subban this season, he has commited this major infraction and not given nothing but a ruler smack on the palm of his hand , he is gonna continue doing this until the League and Player Safety headed by George Parros get off their high horse and not issues warnings, but to take action of future Slu Footing debacles by Subban and suspend him , before he causes a injury to any player he chooses to ruin their career with a leg or knee injury , and hopefully when his contract is up New Jersey makes right decision to not renew or extend his contract. Subban is a dirty player.
He’s already put the Rangers Blais out for the season, Reaves out to start the year, will it take a career injury for the league to do something?
Agreed, he’s already knocked Blais out for the season with his dirty slow foot tactics that Marchand just got suspended for.
“Math” lesson for today – Soobie-Doobie-Doo is to slew-footing as Matt Cooke was to knee-on-knee infractions. The difference being, of course, that Cookie was suspended a few times (probably not enough), and P.K. is in constant possession of “Suspension-B-Gone”, now available in drops or spray.
What Subban did to Ehlers doesn’t match the NHL rule book definition of a slew foot. There’s no forward movement of the leg kicking or knocking Ehlers down. I’m not saying it isn’t a dirty play, but it doesn’t match the definition of a slew foot that the NHL uses.
Nice edits.
yes it does, he put his leg behind Ehlers and then knocked him backwards with his upper body….exactly like it is stated in the rulebook. Subban has been getting away with this for years…along with other dirty play….and I have to wonder why he keeps getting a pass from the league?
Go back and read the rule book.
Maybe Rat Face will slew foot PK injuring him to miss a few games, and Rat Face gets suspended. That’d be karma justice for both
How?
glad I got my popcorn out for this section.
Players are going to have to take the Subban issue into their own hands since the league refuses.
@erickohli , Bet Subban want do it against Rangers with Reaves , Lemieux might bite his leg off
What?