The NHL has long functioned on the philosophy of players policing themselves.
That’s why there was such outrage from fans when Auston Matthews was writhing on the ice and his Toronto Maple Leafs teammates did nothing other than spew a few choice words at Radko Gudas while he was removed from the rink.
Whenever a devastating hit is delivered, it doesn’t matter if it’s deemed clean or dirty. For most teams around the NHL, it’s an injustice that will be rectified almost immediately on the ice. It may sound archaic, but there is also an element of togetherness that develops from those actions. Standing up for your teammates brings a group closer together and you’d be hard-pressed to find any Stanley Cup winners that didn’t embody that quality.
In addition to creating unity, one of the other reasons many players might feel it’s necessary for an immediate reaction when a teammate goes down is that they’ve lost confidence that the appropriate punishment will be handed down by the league.
The NHL needs to do more to deter questionable hits
The Department of Player Safety takes a ton of criticism from folks online for lacking consistency with its discipline and being too lenient with punishments, but let’s start by acknowledging that it has a very difficult job. Hockey at the NHL level is an incredibly fast game and major collisions are going to be inevitable. Determining intent or how much time someone had to adjust their path isn’t easy.
That said, the DOPS can be its own worst enemy at times and invite that aforementioned criticism, too. Regarding the Gudas hit on Matthews, shortly after the game, it was reported that the Anaheim Ducks defender would only have a phone hearing. That meant Gudas could only be suspended for a maximum of five games. It’s hard to find an exact comparable for every infraction, but the closest thing here might be Matt Cooke’s kneeing suspension from the 2014 playoffs, where he received a seven-game ban. Like Gudas, Cooke had a lengthy suspension history and giving him seven post-season games sent a real message.
Now, you can argue whether Gudas or Cooke’s hit was worse, but it’s the process that’s flawed here. Why rush so quickly to announce just a phone hearing when the DOPS could’ve opted for an in-person one? That would’ve allowed them time to collect more information and possibly see the result of Matthews’ injury before making a ruling. The DOPS still could’ve given Gudas five games through an in-person hearing if it felt that was all it required, or they could’ve handed out more. Instead, everyone was already up in arms before the ruling, knowing Gudas wouldn’t get more than five games.
Gudas’s suspension was just the seventh this season for an on-ice infraction and only the third that resulted in more than a one-game ban. There have been dozens of questionable hits that didn’t even result in a fine and it feels like we’re reaching a tipping point where the DOPS is going to start becoming a hotter topic around the league, potentially even as early as the general manager meetings next week.
Looking at the current system, it’s hard to imagine any player fears serious repercussions and sees the DOPS as a deterrent for egregious hits.
Overreaction? No
You’d think the league, maybe more than anyone, would be motivated to make sure their stars were more protected. In addition to Matthews, Sidney Crosby has also been on the shelf due to a hit from Gudas, albeit at the Olympics and one that was deemed legal. Brady Tkachuk was on the wrong end of a sucker punch from Logan Stanley which only saw a one-game suspension back in January. Tampa Bay forward and Canadian Olympian Brandon Hagel took a forearm to the head from Seth Jones earlier this season that went unpunished.
These are only a handful of many incidents, but you get the point. Fans pay money to go watch players like Matthews, and if the league has its top talent out of action, it’s problematic for the product.
The NFL has taken a much stricter approach in recent years to calling things like roughing the passer, for example, in part because it knows quarterbacks make up some of the league’s biggest stars. Fans may complain about soft calls here and there, but the NFL doesn’t care. Its primary goal is keeping quarterbacks on the field.
When it comes to the NHL, no one wants to remove the physicality from the game. That, combined with the speed of play, is one of the main reasons fans tune in on a regular basis. But there has to be a happy medium. Right now, it doesn’t feel like anyone fears any significant consequences from the DOPS — and that could be a dangerous thing when it comes to player safety.
Rick Bowness should be coach of the year
It seemed almost certain the Columbus Blue Jackets were headed for another year without post-season hockey until Rick Bowness arrived on the scene. The Blue Jackets were dead last in the Eastern Conference when Bowness was hired in mid-January, and since then, Columbus has taken off. It is 15-2-4 under Bowness and suddenly sits just one point out of a playoff spot behind both the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings in the wild card. Not to mention the Blue Jackets are now just two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders in the Metro. It’s been a miraculous turnaround and one worthy of a coach of the year honour for Bowness if the Blue Jackets can finish the job and get into the playoffs.
Overreaction? Yes
Bowness definitely deserves consideration for what he’s accomplished since joining the Blue Jackets, but it’s still come in a small sample size. The veteran bench boss would’ve only been in charge of Columbus for 38 games this season, and even if it sneaks in, it would be hard to overlook a few coaches who have put their teams in excellent positions over 82 games. Jon Cooper, for example, could be at the top of the list given the Tampa Bay Lightning’s injury situation this season. Tampa has been without key players for a significant portion of the campaign, and its blue line has been decimated at times, yet the Lightning still have the sixth-best record in the NHL. It’s hard to believe Cooper has never won the award before, but this very well may finally be his year.
The Pacific is the worst division we’ve seen in more than a decade
Coming into the season, I think there was a widespread belief that the easiest path in the playoffs might be through the Metropolitan Division. But with teams like the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins having great years, and the Carolina Hurricanes leading the East and sitting third in the NHL, that is no longer the case. The softest division is clearly the Pacific, with the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights wading through inconsistent seasons. The Ducks were leading the division until Saturday with a negative goal differential, and the entire Pacific would be no better than 10th if they were in the East. You could make an argument that this is the worst division we’ve seen in more than 10 years.
Overreaction? No
It might sound a little weird saying that a division that boasts Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jack Eichel and Macklin Celebrini is the worst we’ve seen in quite some time, but it’s a fair criticism. Utah, which is in the first wild-card spot, could easily end up finishing ahead of the Pacific winner in points but not have home-ice advantage in a first-round matchup. That hasn’t happened since the NHL adopted this new playoff format more than a decade ago. Vegas is leading the group now, but is actually 31-36 if you count overtime losses — not to mention the Golden Knights and Oilers both have some of the worst goaltending in the league. Seattle, San Jose and Los Angeles, who are battling for the final wild-card spot, would all be at least 10 points behind the playoff cutoff line in the East.
All this is one of the reasons it made sense for McDavid to stick around in Edmonton for a few years, as the Pacific should give him an excellent path to get back to the Stanley Cup Final this year and beyond.
Red Wings at risk of missing the playoffs
Don’t look now, but the Detroit Red Wings are suddenly in a very precarious position in the standings. It once looked like a lock that the Wings would be heading to the post-season for the first time in almost a decade, but suddenly, Detroit is only one point up on the Columbus Blue Jackets after losing five of six games. Ottawa, Washington and Philadelphia are still in striking distance of the Red Wings as well. Detroit is now the only playoff team in the East with a negative goal differential and if the Wings are not careful, their playoff drought may not come to an end after all this season.
Overreaction? No
There are a few reasons the Wings could be in big trouble here. The first is that their captain is sidelined with an injury, and Dylan Larkin is expected to miss at least another couple of weeks. Detroit’s centre depth takes a massive hit without Larkin, as JT Compher is now in the middle of the top line. Second, the Red Wings’ schedule is far from easy the rest of the way. Detroit has the seventh-toughest remaining schedule, with games against the likes of Montreal, Buffalo, Minnesota and Tampa Bay still to come.
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Finally, there are fair questions to ask about what Detroit did at the deadline. The Wings added Justin Faulk and David Perron, but Steve Yzerman could’ve taken a bigger swing or two for a team that is desperately trying to get back into the playoffs in a wide-open Eastern Conference. It would be a stunning turn of events, but at this point, not all that shocking if Detroit isn’t playing spring hockey once again.
William Eklund scored the goal of the year
There’s still about 15 games or so left for most teams, but the goal of the year may already be decided. San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund submitted his bid for the best goal of the 2025-26 campaign on Thursday night, and it was a doozy.
Not only did Eklund dangle around the defender, but his tally was filled with a handful of incredible athletic feats, like showing great hand-eye coordination by batting the puck out of mid air while essentially in flight. Is it unquestionably the best we’ve seen this season?
Overreaction? Yes
Eklund’s goal was incredible, don’t get me wrong, but I actually think another one on the very same night was the best we’ve seen this season. Matt Duchene carving up the Edmonton Oilers’ defence is at the top of my list right now.
I’m giving Duchene an edge because he beat three players, whereas Eklund only alluded to one. The Dallas Stars forward also incorporated a spin-o-rama and multiple toe-drags, before going backhand shelf. It’s like picking between ice cream and cake, you can’t really go wrong, but Duchene’s was slightly more aesthetically pleasing in my opinion.
