Colorado’s Matthew Stienburg Suspended Two Games, Reassigned
The Colorado Avalanche are losing another player up front, although this time it won’t be for an injury. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced they have suspended Avalanche rookie forward Matthew Stienburg for two games for charging Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Černák in last night’s contest. Shortly after the suspension was issued, the Avalanche announced they had reassigned Stienburg to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.
The news came roughly seven hours after the Department of Player Safety shared that Stienburg was scheduled for a hearing regarding the incident. The discipline served by the Department of Player Safety is in addition to the on-ice referees giving Stienburg a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct.
In the video shared by the Department of Player Safety, the contributing factor to the suspension was that Stienburg turned his back on the hit and lifted himself off the ice causing the focal point of the hit to be Černák’s head. They also noted that Stienburg’s NHL experience of eight games played a part in the length of the suspension.
He’s been one of Colorado’s most physical players since being recalled from AHL Colorado on October 16th. He’s seventh on the team in hits with 16 despite only being 16th in games played with eight. Consequently, thanks to the illegal hit on Černák yesterday evening, he now sits first on the team in PIMs with 22. According to Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette, Stienburg must wait to serve his suspension until he’s recalled back to the NHL.
The biggest implication of this suspension and subsequent demotion is that the Avalanche only have 10 healthy forwards and an upcoming game on Saturday against the Nashville Predators. Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton, and Jonathan Drouin are all on the shelf for one reason or another, and Colorado will now have to pull from their organizational depth even further with Stienburg being sent down.
Lightning’s Conor Geekie Suspended One Game
2:51 p.m.: Geekie has been suspended for one preseason game, the league announced. He’ll be eligible to play on opening night if he makes the team.
9:05 a.m.: If Lightning prospect Conor Geekie cracks the opening night roster, he may still have to wait to make his NHL debut. The pivot is facing a suspension today for violating league Rule 70.2, which prohibits leaving the bench “on a legal line change for the purpose of starting an altercation,” the Department of Player Safety announced.
Midway through the second period of last night’s overtime loss to the Panthers, Geekie started a shift and immediately laid a hit on and subsequently fought Florida forward prospect Josh Davies. Geekie wasn’t tossed from the game, but he was given a total of 19 PIMs on the play – a 10-minute instigator misconduct, a fighting major, an instigator minor, and a cross-checking minor.
The altercation shortly followed a hit that Davies laid on Lightning captain Victor Hedman that violated no league roles and wasn’t penalized, although it did immediately draw the ire of Tampa star Nikita Kucherov, who attempted to drag Davies down to the ice during play immediately following the hit (video via Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times).
As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman points out, Geekie isn’t facing the automatic 10-game suspension levied for leaving the bench to join an active fight. Previous suspensions for violations of Rule 70.2 range from one to two games. The Lightning have two preseason games left on their schedule, so Geekie may be back for the season opener, although the league may up the suspension slightly to compensate for the much weaker punishment of being barred from exhibition play.
Geekie, 20, was the 11th overall pick in the 2022 draft by the Coyotes. After his entry-level contract was transferred to Utah, they traded him to the Bolts in this offseason’s Mikhail Sergachev blockbuster. He lit up the WHL last year for 99 points in just 55 games split between the Wenatchee Wild and Swift Current Broncos.
Kaiden Guhle Receives One-Game Suspension
The ruling is in for Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle. After slashing Flyers winger Travis Konecny from the bench during their game yesterday, the Department of Player Safety announced (video link) that Guhle has received a one-game suspension.
The 22-year-old slashed Konecny in retaliation for a hit he threw on winger Juraj Slafkovsky seconds earlier in the dying seconds of the second period. However, any contact with a player on the ice from the bench is prohibited. In the ruling video, it’s noted that any contact that typically occurs from the bench can be handled with a penalty on the play or a fine. However, Guhle’s actions rose above that, resulting in the one-game ban.
It’s the first supplementary discipline of any kind for Guhle who will forfeit just under $4.5K in salary based on his $863.3K AAV. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. He will now miss their game against Carolina on Saturday which should allow Johnathan Kovacevic to return to the lineup. Guhle will be eligible to return for Montreal’s contest versus Florida on Tuesday.
John Tortorella Suspended For Two Games
The NHL has suspended Flyers head coach John Tortorella for two games and fined him $50K for unprofessional conduct directed at the officials during last night’s 7-0 loss to the Lightning.
Tortorella was assessed a bench minor and a game misconduct for abuse of officials at 10:49 of the first period after Lightning center Brayden Point scored a power-play goal to increase Tampa’s lead to 4-0 early in the game. Broadcast video captured Tortorella on the bench continuing to fight with officials after the misconduct was assessed, appearing to say, “I’m not f****** leaving” multiple times to referee Wes McCauley (video link via Bally Sports Sun).
The Flyers have publicly supported Tortorella since last night’s ejection, with team governor Dan Hilferty pledging to cover his fine if one was assessed. Flyers assistant Brad Shaw told reporters this morning that Tortorella was simply expressing dissatisfaction with the calls and not going so far as to threaten the on-ice officials, while captain Sean Couturier claimed his head coach “didn’t say much” (via Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports).
Philadelphia’s grip on third place in the Metropolitan Division has slipped to only four points ahead of the Islanders, who have three games in hand on the Flyers. They’ll now be without their Jack Adams candidate for a two-game homestand against the Sharks and Maple Leafs as they try to keep pace in the playoff race.
The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco first reported the suspension; Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first with the fine amount.
Parker Kelly Receives Two-Game Suspension
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
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
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
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
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
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.