Nazem Kadri to avoid suspension, will be fined for Throat Slash Gesture

Sometimes, a slap on the wrist is all a person needs. That’s what the NHL is gambling on today, as they’ve decided not to suspend Nazem Kadri for his throat-slash gesture earlier this week.

The gesture, which happened on Tuesday evening, was the peak of Kadri’s reaction to a heavy hit from Mark Giordano earlier this week. He was visibly irritated by the collision, shaking his head in frustration, slamming the Leafs’ bench door, before pointing at Giordano, gesturing at him, and screaming what appeared to be “you’re f***ing dead/done”.

The two played the rest of the game without incident. Kadri was not a part of yesterday’s practice ahead of tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, but it’s not known whether that had a direct relationship to what had transpired.

Personally, I think a fine was a fitting decision by the league given the circumstances. I’m a little bit more easy going than most as far as self-expression goes, and a generic threat of violence like a throat slash isn’t particularly offensive to anybody. 

If anything, the only real consequence to it comes to the player who does it, as he gains heavy watch from the threatened players teammates, and has video evidence showing premeditation against him if he does cross the line. At the same time, the league has taken action against players for similar in the past, so they may have found it difficult to step totally away from the precedent.

Puck drop for tonight’s game is at 9:00 PM. Kadri is likely to play, going head to head against Connor McDavid.