Montreal Canadiens Juraj Slafkovsky might face a short suspension after his hearing with the Department of Player Safety later today but Matt Luff, the player he hit, is out much longer. Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde told reporters including Ansar Khan of MLive that Luff will miss 10-12 weeks after wrist surgery on Thursday.
Luff, 25, had seen regular action on the Red Wings’ fourth line the last little while, playing in seven games and scoring a goal against the New York Rangers on Sunday. That spot will now have to be filled by someone else for the next few months, potentially leaving Luff without a role to return to. It’s a tough result for a player still trying to establish himself as an everyday NHL player, one who played just 23 games at that level last season.
Slafkovsky, meanwhile, may actually face a stiffer penalty as the league does take injury into consideration when doling out supplementary discipline. The hit from behind that sent Luff sprawling into the boards was enough for a hearing, and this news will only create more reason to hand the first-overall pick his first suspension.
Any dirty play resulting in an injury should immediately get you double what the injured player hastuh sit out. Wanna actually get rid of the dirty bs, you gotta make the players fear the consequences. Players like Marchand has made it clear that players willing to be dirty laugh at these slaps on the wrist
Licking cause injuries? I dont remember last time Rats dirty hit caused an injury. Slafkovsky must be gone tho. No excuses for that behavior
Habs fans all over Twitter defending this hit. Appalling.
I believe any illegal hit, dirty hit, or penalty by a player that injures another player. The offender should be suspended without appeal for as long as the injured player is out of action. That might make some players reconsider their borderline or over the line actions on the ice!