The conversation surrounding supplemental discipline in the NHL doesn’t appear to be quieting down.
After the league handed Radko Gudas a five-game suspension for a knee-on-knee collision that ended Auston Matthews‘s season, the decision has put the discipline process in the spotlight.
Among those weighing in was Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, who acknowledged the difficulty of the job but suggested the process itself may need another look.
“I think player safety has done their best,” McDavid said. “It’s not an easy thing to do. With that being said, I think there is reason to take a look at how the whole process works.”
While McDavid couldn’t speak to the opinions owners and general managers might have about the league’s discipline protocols, he believes there is a disconnect on multiple levels.
“If every time there’s a suspension, everybody complains about it, why don’t we take a look at the process and figure out if there’s a better way to make sure both parties are happy?” he said. “It seems like there’s a lot of frustration there.”
McDavid is no stranger to the Department of Player Safety, previously suspended for three games because of a cross-check to Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland after he was interfered with and held down without a penalty call.
At the time, many came to the defence of McDavid, saying that the Oilers captain had to take matters into his own hands.
“Why aren’t we protecting superstars?” Corey Perry, who was a teammate of McDavid, questioned at the time. “Every other league does it. They protect their superstars.”
During Saturday Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving made a strong push for harsher discipline.
According to Friedman, Treliving contacted the league and argued the play warranted a much longer suspension, pointing to the impact on the team and the league’s marquee talent.
“He said, ‘This is bad for the league. It’s our captain, it’s our best player,’” Friedman explained. “‘Imagine if we were in a playoff race. Imagine if he lost playoff games to it.’”
The Leafs also reportedly referenced previous discipline handed down to their own players — including a five-game suspension to Morgan Rielly and a six-game ban, later reduced to four, for Jason Spezza — while comparing the incident to a seven-game suspension given to Matt Cooke during the 2014 playoffs for kneeing Colorado’s Tyson Barrie.
The Anaheim Ducks, meanwhile, defended Gudas, noting the veteran defenceman had not been suspended in seven years.
Complicating matters further was the role of the National Hockey League Players’ Association, which represents both Matthews and Gudas. Friedman reported the union presented data showing that kneeing suspensions historically trend shorter: one seven-game suspension, three four-game suspensions, nine two-game suspensions and three one-game bans over the past 15 years.
That data illustrates the tightrope the league walks when determining discipline — balancing precedent, player safety and the competing interests of teams, players and the union.
In its video explanation of the ruling, the Department of Player Safety said Gudas was responsible for ensuring the hit was delivered legally.
“It is important to note that Gudas is in control of this play,” the league said. “If he wants to deliver this hit, the onus is on Gudas to ensure that he makes an approach that allows him to deliver a legal full-body check.”
Instead, the league said, Gudas led with an extended knee that resulted in a “forceful, dangerous and direct knee-on-knee collision.”
