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Parker Kelly Receives Two-Game Suspension

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While it was a busy day on the trade front on Friday, the Department of Player Safety was busy as well.  On top of handing out three fines, they also announced that Senators center Parker Kelly received a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head on Kings defenseman Andreas Englund.

The incident occurred late in the third period of Thursday night’s matchup.  He received a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head on the play while Englund also received a minor for roughing as well.

It’s the first suspension of Kelly’s career and he’ll forfeit a little under $8K which goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.  Kelly will miss tonight’s game against San Jose and Tuesday’s contest versus Pittsburgh.  Ottawa shouldn’t need to recall a player to take his place on the roster with their addition of Boris Katchouk off waivers yesterday so they won’t need to use one of their four post-deadline regular recalls.

Flames’ Martin Pospisil Suspended Three Games

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The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday that Flames winger Martin Pospisil has been suspended for three games for boarding Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn in the third period of Monday’s game. His suspension opens a roster spot for the Flames as they continue to work out a trade to send top-four blue-liner Noah Hanifin to the Golden Knights.

Pospisil was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct on the play. Dunn sustained an apparent head injury and did not return for the game’s final minutes.

The Department of Player Safety said Pospisil’s actions constituted supplemental discipline because “the onus is on Pospisil to avoid this hit entirely, change his angle of approach and deliver this check legally, or, at the very least, minimize the impact of this hit. Instead, with time to make a different decision, Pospisil chooses to drive Dunn forcefully into the boards from behind.”

Pospisil, 24, has not been fined or suspended throughout his 45-game NHL career. Since making his Flames debut in early November, the 2018 fourth-round pick has worked his way into a full-time role, posting six goals, nine assists, and 15 points with a +8 rating. The Zvolen, Slovakia native has demonstrated a willingness to play on the edge and has gotten burned for it, garnering 72 PIMs. It’s otherwise been a promising rookie season for Pospisil, who boasts a 53.5 CF% at even strength and a +0.9 expected rating while logging 12:06 per game.

His suspension means Nazem Kadri is now without both his most common linemates this season, Pospisil and rookie Connor Zary. Zary is on injured reserve and listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. In their absence, Kadri is expected to center midseason trade pickup Andrei Kuzmenko and 2019 first-round pick Jakob Pelletier.

Morgan Rielly’s Suspension Affirmed By NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

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With the fifth and final game of Morgan Rielly’s suspension being set to be served on Wednesday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was going to need to get his ruling on Rielly’s appeal made quickly.  That decision has now been made with the league announcing that Bettman has affirmed the five-game ban and that no change will be coming.

The NHLPA filed the appeal last week on Rielly’s behalf.  According to the notes in Bettman’s ruling, they argued that the principal point of contact being the body, Rielly’s history of no supplemental discipline, and that Senators forward Ridly Greig wasn’t injured on the play were reasons to reduce the suspension.  Bettman acknowledged that Rielly’s clean history and the lack of injury were already factored into the decision, suggesting that had this not been the case, the suspension almost certainly would have been considerably longer.

Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs argued that Greig’s actions (slapping the puck into the empty net in the dying seconds of the game) were provocative, an argument that Bettman felt was “utterly irrelevant”.

While Toronto has certainly missed Rielly at a time when their back end is already thinned out, his absence hasn’t hurt them in the standings as they’ve won all four games and will try to make it five on Wednesday.  He’ll be eligible to return the following night against Vegas.

Snapshots: Tennyson, Ludwig, Letang, Rielly

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Free agent defenseman Matt Tennyson has been without a contract this season, but he’s found a place to play with a handful of weeks remaining in the campaign. HC Lugano of the Swiss National League announced Wednesday that they’ve signed Tennyson through the end of 2023-24 as they look to bolster their squad for the stretch run.

The 33-year-old spent last season on an AHL deal with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the primary affiliate of the Kraken, and recorded 18 assists and a +20 rating in 71 games (and three assists and a +9 rating in 26 playoff games) as they advanced to the Calder Cup Final. The minor-league mainstay was supposed to play in the Predators organization entering the second season of a two-year, two-way contract, but the deal was mutually terminated in July 2022.

He last appeared in the NHL with Nashville in the 2021-22 season, notching three assists in an eight-game stint. While the right-shot blue-liner has spent most of his professional career in the minors, he does have four goals, 25 assists, 29 points, and a -24 rating in 173 games over parts of nine NHL seasons with the Predators, Hurricanes, Devils, Sabres, and Sharks.

Other news and notes from around the league:

  • The Coyotes have extended and promoted front office staffer David Ludwig to an assistant general manager position under GM Bill Armstrong, the team announced Wednesday. Ludwig, a former player agent, has been with Arizona since 2020 as their director of hockey operations and salary cap compliance. His new role will involve more direct communication with Armstrong, including assisting him “in all aspects of running the Club’s personnel and hockey operations, including salary cap management, contract negotiations, and Collective Bargaining Agreement/legal issues,” the team said. His promotion continues a run of front-office extensions the Coyotes have announced in recent days, mostly involving their scouting department.
  • Penguins defenseman Kris Letang will play against the Panthers on Wednesday after departing Monday’s practice for precautionary reasons, head coach Mike Sullivan said (via Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). The team is down to 18 healthy skaters after placing Noel Acciari and Jansen Harkins on IR with concussions in the last 48 hours and has no salary cap space for a recall from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. As such, the team will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen against Florida out of necessity to avoid waiving any of their depth defensemen. The 36-year-old Letang has 30 points and a +14 rating in 49 games while averaging 25 minutes in the second season of his six-year, $36.6MM extension.
  • The NHLPA will file an appeal Wednesday on behalf of Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly, who was suspended five games on Tuesday for a cross-check to the face of Senators forward Ridly Greig, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. The appeal for a reduced suspension will go directly to Commissioner Gary Bettman and cannot be forwarded to an independent arbitrator because the initial assessment was less than six games. If Bettman reduces the suspension, but the ruling is not made final until after he’s sat out for five games, Rielly will get a pro-rated salary reimbursed based on the reduction.

Morgan Rielly Receives 5-Game Suspension

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Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly has been assessed a five-game suspension as a result of his actions at the end of Saturday’s loss to the Senators, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports Tuesday night. Rielly had an in-person hearing today with the NHL Department of Player Safety for cross-checking Senators forward Ridly Greig after he scored an empty-net goal with seconds remaining in the game.

In their video statement addressing the incident, DoPS ruled that Rielly “used his stick as a weapon to exact retribution on an opponent.” Rielly, who checked Greig after he scored his empty-net goal via a slapshot, has not been suspended in his 11-year career.

Rielly’s hearing Tuesday was virtual due to inclement weather at league offices in New York but was treated as an in-person hearing regardless. Notably, DoPS did not take advantage of their ability to suspend Rielly for more than five games by offering him an in-person hearing.

By issuing a five-game suspension, DoPS also made their decision ineligible for an appeal process to reach an independent arbitrator. Rielly may still appeal the suspension to league commissioner Gary Bettman, but his decision will be final. Bettman has upheld all three suspensions that have been sent to him for appeal this season – both four-game bans for Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson (link) and the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy (link), plus a six-game suspension for Red Wings forward David Perron (link).

Rielly’s absence already puts them in a tough spot over the next week and a half without much depth behind him on defense. An illness bug exacerbates things in the short term, too, as both Mitch Marner and John Tavares are listed as out for tonight’s game against the Blues with an illness. Toronto has shuffled their roster in response, returning defenseman Maxime Lajoie to AHL Toronto from his emergency loan while recalling forward Alex Steeves, who will make his season debut, under emergency conditions.

23-year-old Timothy Liljegren slides up to Toronto’s top pairing in Rielly’s absence, while the left-shot Jake McCabe will take his spot on their top power-play unit. Rielly, 29, leads Toronto defenders in goals (7), assists (36), points (43), and average time on ice (24:21) this season.

Nikita Zadorov Receives Two-Game Suspension

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After announcing a hearing just a few hours ago, the Department of Player Safety has made a quick ruling on Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov.  The league announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner has been handed a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head against Detroit forward Lucas Raymond.

The incident occurred early in the second period today with Zadorov receiving a match penalty on the play.  As the league’s accompanying video notes, Zadorov’s hit satisfies both elements for an illegal check to the head with the head being the principal point of contact and the hit being avoidable; it was deemed that Zadorov’s hit was mistimed and that he needed to take a better angle to hit Raymond’s core.

With Vancouver being back in action on Sunday, the league needed to make a ruling fairly quickly.  Zadorov will miss that contest against Washington as well as Tuesday’s game versus Chicago; he’ll be eligible to return on Thursday when they host Detroit in a rematch of today’s game.  It’s the first suspension of Zadorov’s career and he will forfeit a little over $39K in salary, that money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Brenden Dillon Receives Three-Game Suspension

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After conducting a phone hearing with Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon earlier today, the Department of Player Safety has issued its ruling, handing the blueliner a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head.  The incident occurred early in the second period of last night’s game against Pittsburgh’s Noel Acciari, a match penalty was assessed on the play.  Acciari left the game and did not return; there is no word yet on the severity of his injury.

In the Department’s video ruling, they indicated that Dillon’s hit satisfied both ends of the criteria in Rule 48 for an illegal check to the head.  The principal point of contact was the head while the hit itself was avoidable, leading to the suspension.

It’s the second suspension of Dillon’s career as he received a one-game ban back in 2017 for slashing.

As a result of the suspension, Dillon will be out of Winnipeg’s lineup until February 17th when they take on Vancouver.  He will forfeit just under $61K in salary which instead will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Jacob Trouba Receives Two-Game Suspension

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With the Rangers playing tonight, the Department of Player Safety needed to make a quick ruling following their disciplinary hearing with defenseman Jacob Trouba today.  That ruling has now been made as the league announced that the blueliner has been suspended for two games for his elbow on Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev.  The incident occurred late in the second period and no penalty was called on the play.

In the video announcing the suspension, the league acknowledged that elbows can be raised as part of a natural motion when skating, stopping, or making a play on the puck.  However, with the incident occurring off a faceoff, Trouba was deemed to not be making a play on the puck while his elbowing motion was not viewed as a natural motion while skating.

This is Trouba’s second career suspension while he has also been fined twice; that history was noted in the disciplinary video.  He will miss tonight’s game against Ottawa as well as their first game back after the break on February 5th versus Colorado.  Trouba will be eligible to return on February 7th against Tampa Bay.  Based on his AAV, he will forfeit a little over $83K in salary; that money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Brendan Gallagher Suspended For Five Games

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Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher has been suspended for five games for an illegal check to the head of New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech. He will also forfeit $169,270.85 to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund, per terms outlined in the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Gallagher was given a match penalty for the hit, leaving the ice roughly 12 minutes before Montreal’s eventual win over New York.

Gallagher’s hit spread quickly around social media, where many were surprised to learn that the winger would only be having a phone hearing, limiting the largest suspension he could receive to just five games. He’s received said maximum punishment, marking the first time that Gallagher has been suspended across his 12-year NHL career. The only other disciplinary action that he’s faced was a $2,500 fine for a roughing penalty in November of the 2021-22 season.

Gallagher has had a productive career with the Canadiens, appearing in 723 career games and netting 411 points. His best year came during the 2017-18 season when the winger scored 31 goals and 54 points through 82 games. He followed it up with 33 goals and 52 points through 82 games the next year, marking the longest active streak of Gallagher’s career. Now 31, he’s lost the scoring kick that he once had – boasting just 16 points, split evenly, through 48 games this season. He still ranks fourth on Montreal in scoring, though the team is currently ranked 25th in the league in goals-for.

Jesse Ylonen will likely serve in a larger role with Gallagher out. The winger made his return to the lineup on Wednesday, after exiting the team’s Monday night game with an undisclosed injury. Ylonen has seven points in 36 games this year.

Coyotes’ Jason Zucker Suspended Three Games For Boarding

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Coyotes winger Jason Zucker has been suspended for three games for boarding Panthers forward Nick Cousins during Tuesday’s 4-1 loss, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced late last night. Zucker faced a phone hearing for the play earlier in the day.

Officials assessed a major penalty and game misconduct to Zucker for boarding on the play, which occurred with less than a minute remaining in the second period. He will be eligible to return on January 11 against the Flames.

Zucker is a first-time offender in the truest sense, never once having been fined or suspended by the league over his 13-year career. However, as the Department of Player Safety outlined in their explanation video for the incident, Cousins sustained an injury due to Zucker’s hit, which limited him to one shift in the third period, leading them to lay down a multi-game suspension. He is now in concussion protocol and is uncertain for tonight’s game against the Golden Knights.

Other factors in the length of suspension included Cousins’ lack of movement before the hit, meaning that when Zucker began to approach Cousins, the latter was in a position that made the impact illegal and satisfied the league’s boarding rule. In the NHL rulebook for the 2023-24 season, the NHL defines a boarding penalty (rule 41.1) as a “player who checks or pushes a defenseless opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to hit or impact the boards violently or dangerously.”

Noted in this rule is the immense discretion of officials in assessing boarding penalties, but Cousins’ positioning against the boards at the time Zucker began the check classifies him as a defenseless opponent in no uncertain terms. Cousins also did not have possession of the puck at the time of the play.

The check occurred a few moments after Cousins made contact with Coyotes defenseman Juuso Välimäki along the half wall. However, the Department of Player Safety said Zucker claimed the check was not made in retaliation for his teammate. The Department did not factor retaliation into their decision on a three-game suspension length.

His suspension leaves the Coyotes with only 11 forwards available on the active roster. Unless they opt to dress Josh Brown and utilize seven defensemen in tonight’s tilt against the Islanders, expect the Coyotes to recall a forward from AHL Tucson later today.

It also leaves them without a significant third-line contributor as they try to maintain their place in the Western Conference Wild Card race. Their loss to the Panthers on Tuesday dropped their points percentage to .556, and while they remain in the second Wild Card spot based on current standings points, they sit third in the race based on points percentage behind the Oilers’ .557. They’ll likely need to capture two wins over their next three games without Zucker to keep pace in the playoff race. The 31-year-old missed seven games with a lower-body injury earlier this season, and the Coyotes went 3-3-1 in his absence.

In his first season with Arizona after inking a one-year, $5.3MM pact in free agency, Zucker has six goals and six assists for 12 points through 29 games. He isn’t producing up to the expectations set by his salary, nor his 27 goals and 48 points in 78 games with the Penguins last season, but he has been a solid cog in a Coyotes top-nine that’s produced much better depth scoring than expected.

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