After cross-checking Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk in the head on Saturday night’s Game 2, Nazem Kadri will have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Monday.
Kadri’s hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) April 14, 2019
This will be an in-person hearing, meaning that the Leafs forward can be possibly suspended for more than five games. If it was a phone hearing, that would be the limit.
Kadri will be obviously unavailable for Game 3 on Monday, due to the hearing and most likely upcoming suspension.
In an all too familiar instance, Kadri was suspended last year for three games during the playoff series against the Bruins for an awkward hit along the boards on Tommy Wingels.
Kadri will be considered a repeat offender for this suspension hearing because of this hit. Once a player goes 18 months without a suspension, they can be cleared off the repeat offender list.
Based on this and the severity of the hit, it seems like most analysts or experts are assuming the Leafs will be without the center for at least five more games, or the remainder of the series against the Bruins.
He was missed last year, but with the offensive bulking that the Leafs did over the season, his absence might be a little less noticed.
Matthews, Tavares, and most likely Nylander will be the three centers the Leafs go into Game 3 with. Nylander played center earlier in the year and it seemed to use his abilities quite well — transitioning easily through the ice.
Concrete lineup changes will be announced early Monday at the gameday skate.
Love the headline from the other day “Why Nazem Kadri Is A Game-Changer In This Series”
ummm…he’s a game changer because he’s a selfish individual with no impulse control or mental capacity to realize that his team needs him in the playoffs but he put his team LAST and himself and his petty retribution needs FIRST.
Is that why he is a game changer? Great work Naz – make sure you let your landlord know that you are probably done as a Leaf and will be moving to another city to conduct your selfish clown show.
I agree with most of what you said but I also think there could take a game off of the suspension because of DeBrusk’s actions. In the regular season, that knee-on-knee could have easily been suspendable.
Yeah well budguy deserved it and i would have done it to
Although i would have just waited until after the game and kicked him in the goodies
That knee looked sore
You are nuts he did not deserve that and even as a Leaf’s fan I can say that. Also his name is Debrusk.
Yeah maybe i went overboard with it but i didn’t feel sorry 4 him tho