It’s official. Despite appealing his four-game suspension, Rasmus Andersson will be required to serve his full suspension. Despite the NHLPA taking his appeal to the commissioner to ask for a break on the suspension, Gary Bettman upheld the ruling by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Andersson will serve his full suspension and be out for the next three games including the Heritage Classic against the Edmonton Oilers.
The play that got Andersson suspended
In the final seconds of the Flames’ 3–1 defeat at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Rasmus Andersson was called for charging and levelling a high hit on Patrik Laine. This hit took Andersson out of the remainder of the game. Here is the hit that earned the penalty:
Following the game, the Department of Player Safety reviewed the incident, and levelled a four-game suspension on the Flames’ blueliner, taking him out of the Flames’ final road game in Detroit, the next two games against the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues, as well as against the Edmonton Oilers in the Heritage Classic.
The NHLPA then elected to file an appeal on Andersson’s behalf. Because it was less than six games, the appeal goes to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who has the final say on this matter. In his decision, Bettman did take into account that Andersson has no significant history of discipline and has not previously been suspended in his NHL career. However he did not that while Andersson did say it was not intentional, the hit was “completely unnecessary” and “irresponsible”. Laine’s body position being lower to the ground than usual was not a reason for the hit to take place, and given his body position did not substantially change in the moments prior to the hit, the onus was on Andersson to “deliver a clean hit”.
THE NHLPA finally contended that this suspension is unnecessarily punitive as it precludes Andersson from participating in the Heritage Classic. To which Bettman made the following comment:
The relevant issue on appeal ultimately comes down to whether the Players should have been suspended for three (3) games (as contended by the NHLPA) or suspected for four (4) games (as imposed by the Department of Player Safety) for his illegal hit. Given the nature and circumstances of the hit, I find that any mitigating factors here are insufficient to warrant a reduction in the Department of Player Safety’s discipline. In making this determination, it is also important for me to note that I have given no weight to the NHLPA’s and Mr. Andersson’s argument that a reduction in Mr Andersson’s suspension could be justified, in whole or in part, by the fact that the current suspension necessarily precludes his participation in the upciming 2023 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic taking place on Sunday, October 29, 2023. Consistency of the enforcement standard is a fundamental tenet of supplemental discipline, and the Department of Player Safety should not be asked to create or enforce a standard that distinguishes between the relative importance of Regular Season games. Accordingly, an for the reasons stated above, I find that the Department of Safety’s decision to suspend Mr. Andersson for four (4) games is supported by clear and convincing evidence and is hereby affirmed.
Gary Bettman on Rasmus Andersson’s suspension
While the NHL has been criticized in the past for their lack of consistency, this statement hopefully is the start of seeing some more clarity on the matter.
What happens now?
Andersson will be expected to be back in the lineup on Wednesday, November 1 against the Dallas Stars. The Flames have not yet called anyone up from the Wranglers, but expect they may do so to have an extra body on the team should one of their other six defencemen pick up an injury. Jordan Oesterle likely draws in for the next three games, with either Nick DeSimone or Ilya Solovyov probably earning the call-up.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
