NHL Department of Player Safety May Be Eyeing Leafs' Matthew Knies After Controversial Hit
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The NHL Player Safety Department may be looking to punish Matthew Knies after his elbow to the head of Simon Edvinsson during Thursday's game against the Red Wings.
Thursday's preseason game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings didn't go great for the blue and white. Although they jumped to an early 1-0 lead, they saw it evaporate late in the game and lost by a score of 3-1.
One positive was that Auston Matthews scored and looked very much like the type of player we have come to expect and not the 33-goal injury ridden player we endured last year.
The Incident That May Put Knies on the NHL's Radar
But it was his lineman Matthew Knies who got a lot of attention, but it wasn't due to a crazy offensive performance, but rather his elbow to the head of Simon Edvinsson:
He was given a penalty on the play, and while it looked innocent, as Edvinsson seemed to zig while Knies was zagging and he ran into his elbow instead of his shoulder, and it was clear Knies wasn't acting malicious or trying to hurt the defenseman.
What Comes Next From the Department of Player Safety
However, he might not exactly get away with it, as he will no doubt have this looked at by the NHL Player Safety Department.
They have already been busy this preseason, handing out some fines and depending on if they believe Knies deserves punishment, he could join them.
Fans also believe that Knies could be in a bit of trouble and be a little bit lighter in the pocket because of it:
As fans noted, Knies might find himself with a $5,000 fine; the maximum penalty under the CBA, and while it might not mean much to a player who signed a $46.5-million contract this summer; it's pretty much peanuts.
But it's more the principal of the matter, and the league has to enforce some type of penalty even if Knies wasn't acting in bad faith.
The NHLPA has until 5pm today (Friday) to make a decision.
UPDATE: Matthew Knies' Fate Revealed
As the 5pm deadline has clearly come and passed, the NHL has decided to not hand down any supplemental punishment towards Knies for his elbow on Edvinsson.
While he escaped punishment now, Knies will need to keep an eye on how he enacts his pain on the ice, or his wallet will end up feeling it in the future.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 3 | 1351 ANSWERS NHL Department of Player Safety May Be Eyeing Leafs' Matthew Knies After Controversial Hit Do you think Matthew Knies should be fined for his elbow to Simon Edvinsson? | ||
| Yes | 389 | 28.8 % |
| No | 962 | 71.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
