Arber Xhekaj put Martin St-Louis and the Canadiens in a difficult spot with a powerful punch at the Bell Centre on Sunday night.
Right now, we are waiting to see what the league will decide, but we know there will be some sort of outcome: a fine, a suspension, or no action at all.
The NHL’s Player Safety Department will take a close look at what happened, and that is necessary.
Sam Carrick fell to the ice right after Xhekaj hit him with a solid right punch.
What stands out is what happened right before the punch hit.
Carrick’s arms seemed to be trapped while Xhekaj had one arm still free, and that’s when the situation turned from a messy fight to one that could lead to a suspension.
This kind of event usually results in more than just a simple warning.
The league has made it clear in the past that hitting someone who can’t protect themselves has serious consequences.
Xhekaj plays hard, and that hard play is what makes him important on Montreal’s defense.
However, there is a line between being tough and doing something that player safety needs to address.
This event crossed that line. The video is short, clear, and not pleasant enough for anyone in Montreal to think it will just be ignored by lunchtime.
It seems more likely that Arber Xhekaj will face a suspension rather than just a fine.
The big issue isn’t just that Xhekaj threw a punch out of anger. It’s that Carrick seemed unprepared for a fair fight when the punch was thrown.
That detail matters a lot in these reviews.
Player safety usually focuses on how defenseless a player is, and Carrick’s position in the video gives the league a strong reason to think about giving a tougher punishment.
So yes, the expectations for this game should be understood.
Xhekaj is likely to face some sort of consequences, and it seems reasonable to think that there will be an update from Player Safety later today.
This would create a challenge for Montreal before their next match begins.
Xhekaj is tough, defends his teammates, and has a strong influence, and there isn’t anyone else on the team who can do what he does.
This situation also adds more stress on St-Louis, because problems like this usually fall on the coach.
The Canadiens are good at dealing with emotional situations.
However, they can’t overlook how bad that punch seemed.
By Monday, people probably won’t be debating why he did it.
It will instead focus on how many games Xhekaj will be out for.
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