Edler draws two-game ban for kneeing incident
Intent, injury and repeat-offender status can often factor into any National Hockey League suspension decision.
What was the actual intent? What role did injury play in the ruling? What's the previous pattern of behaviour?
In Vancouver, it's still fodder for debate after Alex Edler received a two-game suspension Monday.
The Canucks' veteran defenceman was assessed a five-minute major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct for a collision that impeded the progress of Toronto Maple Leafs winger Zach Hyman at 10:16 of the second period of Sunday's 3-2 Canucks overtime win. Hyman dropped to the ice, clutched his right knee, left the game and did not return.
Edler was on a ridiculously long 3:02 shift midway through the second period after killing a penalty. And with the Leafs continuing to mount pressure, he stayed on the ice and stuck his right knee out along the sideboards, just as Hyman was about to enter the Canucks' zone. It's the same knee that Hyman injured in 2019 and required surgery to repair the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).
Said the NHL's department of player safety in its ruling:
“Hyman creates a turnover at centre ice, corrals the puck and starts to skate back into the Canucks' zone. Edler steps up from his position to challenge Hyman. And seeing Edler approaching, Hyman makes a move to his left to evade the oncoming contact. Edler, recognizing he may get beat entirely, extends his right leg outward to make sure he gets a piece of Hyman to slow him down.
“This results in a forceful kneeto-knee collision that causes an injury. This is kneeing. It's important
to note that it's not the evasive move by Hyman that causes unavoidable knee-on-knee contact. Edler approaches Hyman with a wide base, which is common as part of a natural hitting motion. When Hyman makes his move, Edler has the option to make a full adjustment of his body and attempt a full body check, or to maintain his current course and slow Hyman down in some other fashion.
“Instead, fatigued after a long shift, Edler only adjusts his right leg and turns his right foot outward to extend his leg further. While the movement is slight, it ensures that leg-on-leg contact will occur and ultimately means Edler drives his knee into Hyman with force.”
Edler could have also been injured in the collision, but that didn't carry any weight with the NHL. With the Canucks returning after a 24-day absence from play — including a coronavirus outbreak that shut the club down March 31 — a lack of game-shape fitness hampered the Canucks.
Canucks coach Travis Green came to Edler's defence on Sunday night, but did acknowledge the hit was concerning.
“For me those plays happen and you don't like to see them,” said Green.
“Eddie is obviously a hard player and not a dirty player and doesn't try to hurt players ever. ”
The Leafs were quick to weigh with post-game thoughts Sunday.
“It was a pretty dirty hit,” said winger William Nylander.
“Didn't love the hit,” added captain John Tavares. “He got five and a game suspension for a reason.”
In 910 career NHL games, Edler has been assessed only one game misconduct and two major penalties.
Edler's suspension history includes a previous knee-to-knee incident:
■ He received a three-game suspension for checking San Jose Sharks rookie Tomas Hertl near the Canucks' bench in the second period of an Oct. 10, 2013 meeting at Rogers Arena.
The winger's helmet flew off in the collision and the league ruled that the head was the main point of contact. And because Hertl was spun around, as opposed to being driven backward by the blow, the NHL said Edler should have taken a better angle toward Hertl — even though Hertl ducked down and looked like he was trying to jump around the defenceman.
At the time, then-Canucks coach John Tortorella had no issue with the aggressive check in the neutral zone on Hertl that at first appeared to be more about the forward trying to avoid a check.
“I would teach that play to all our defencemen,” said Tortorella. “The one he was suspended on, we're teaching that. The league just happens to believe it's suspendable.”
■ Edler was also suspended two games when he made contact with Phoenix goalie Mike Smith behind the Coyotes' net on March 21, 2013. The whiplash motion sent the goalie sprawling and Edler was assessed a five-minute charging major.
■ Edler was suspended for the first two games of he 2014 Winter Olympics for his knee-to-knee hit on Eric Staal at the world championship tourney.
With Edler suspended, Green has to figure out how to deploy his defencemen today in a rematch with the Maple Leafs.
The club was off Monday. Edler was paired with Tyler Myers, who ended up logging a season-high 30:08, and he'll need a new partner. Quinn Hughes was aligned with Travis Hamonic on Sunday, while Guillaume Brisebois played with Jalen Chatfield.
Nate Schmidt, a left shot who plays the right side, is good to go today.