At the tail end of the Calgary Flames’ 3–1 defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night, Rasmus Andersson was penalized for a high hit to Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine. At the 20:00 mark of the third period, Andersson was given a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct.
Andersson suspended for his late hit on Laine
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced today that Andersson has been suspended four games for charging.
Andersson has never been suspended before in his eight-year NHL career. The only disciplinary action he has faced is a fine for head-butting Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto in the 2021–22 season.
Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent was clear on his stance following after the game: “I see a hit to the head and (Andersson) lifting his feet,” Vincent said. “I saw the replay. That’s illegal in my book. So we’ll let the NHL deal with it.”
Andersson will be banned from playing in the following games:
- Sunday October 22, 2023: @ Detroit Red Wings
- Tuesday October 24, 2023: vs New York Rangers
- Thursday October 26, 2023: vs St. Louis Blues
- Sunday October 29, 2023: @ Edmonton Oilers (Heritage Classic)
This may open the door for training camp standout Ilya Solovyov to be recalled to the Flames. However, that would require additional moves to open up cap space as the Flames do not currently have enough room to add another player. Moving Kevin Rooney to LTIR is one option to create this space.
Presently, there is an extra defenseman on the roster with Jordan Oesterle serving as a health scratch for the past four games, and the Flames could opt to roll with the six defenders they currently have.
Andersson forfeits $94,791.68 in salary for this suspension. He has the option to appeal the suspension to the commissioner, however, he cannot appeal to an independent arbitrator since the suspension is less than six games.
