Controversial Decision by the NHL Department of Player Safety Involving Connor McDavid Raises Eyebrows
It's official: the NHL's Department of Player Safety has weighed in with their ruling on the Connor McDavid hit, and boy, have their decision raised eyebrows.
During last night's Edmonton Oilers' game versus the Minnesota Wild, captain Connor McDavid was deemed to have landed an elbow to Marcus Johansson's head in a play that immediately brought up controversy.
The hit came away from the play and went unpenalized, but Johansson left the game injured and didn't return.
Though early speculation suggested McDavid would be in line for a suspension or fine of $5,000 for the head contact and the subsequent injury, that was not the case.
Frank Seravalli reveals there will be no further discipline
NHL insider Frank Seravalli confirmed today that McDavid will not face any further discipline. The ruling comes after taking into account the limited nature of the contact as well as McDavid's otherwise pristine disciplinary history.
- Frank Seravalli
McDavid had a great night nonetheless, notching two goals and an assist, including yet another for the highlight reel in Edmonton's win. The Oilers can't afford to lose him for even a single game, so the league's decision leaves their star in the lineup.
Fans in Minnesota were still chirping about a lack of discipline, but it would appear the NHL decided the play was not intentional enough and not severe enough to warrant anything more.
Oilers fans can now breathe a sign of relief knowing their team won't have to go any games without their superstar captain.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Ryan McLeod | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Connor McDavid | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Matthew Boldy | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brent Burns | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mats Zuccarello | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jason Zucker | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Dylan Cozens | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ryan Hartman | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zach Hyman | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Martin Necas | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vasily Podkolzin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marco Rossi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Viktor Arvidsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Evan Bouchard | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Brown | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Connor Clifton | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ty Emberson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Capitals | 44 | 29 | 10 | 5 | 63 | |
Jets | 45 | 30 | 12 | 3 | 63 | |
Golden Knights | 44 | 29 | 12 | 3 | 61 | |
Oilers | 44 | 28 | 13 | 3 | 59 | |
Wild | 45 | 27 | 14 | 4 | 58 | |
Stars | 43 | 28 | 14 | 1 | 57 | |
Devils | 46 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 57 | |
Maple Leafs | 45 | 27 | 16 | 2 | 56 | |
Avalanche | 45 | 27 | 17 | 1 | 55 | |
Hurricanes | 45 | 26 | 16 | 3 | 55 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||