Head of the NHL Department of Player Safety (DoPS) George Parros says he has no regrets for suspending Anaheim Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas five games for kneeing Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.

“I feel confident in this decision. We came to it for good reason,” he said at the NHL GM’s meetings in Florida via Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. “When we evaluate these plays, we look at the play, not the players. And when we determine if this play is worthy of supplemental discipline, we then look at the history of the players involved and if there’s an injury or not. This is how we come to make all of our decisions. We did this and made the decision under those circumstances, felt that this was the appropriate response, and we stand by it.”

Gudas stuck his knee out intentionally and clipped Matthews in the offensive zone during the second period. Matthews immediately crashed to the ice and was assisted off the ice by trainers after he was initially slow to get up while favouring his left knee. Matthews suffered a season-ending Grade 3 MCL tear and quad contusion as a result of the play.

In the wake of the ruling handed down by the DoPS, there have been calls from the likes of Connor McDavid for changes to the process for issuing supplementary discipline. Parros defended the way the DoPS currently operates, stating that a lot goes into their decision-making with the rulings.

“We sweat over these decisions and pour over these decisions every night, all season long. We have a process in place that’s consistent, and we have a team that works for me, and together with me, that evaluates all these plays,” he said. “A very experienced team, a veteran team. Guys that have been there since the beginning of the department. Not to mention all the former players that have a large set of experiences playing NHL games, accolades. Some of the best guys that have played the game work for this department help make decisions. So, our process, I feel very confident in. We’ve got great guys who make these decisions, and I think the players should be confident in this team to do so.”

While Parros has stated that he and the DoPS are looking for ways to improve their process, it won’t stop people from the outside from being critical of their verdicts. Leafs players who have spoken to the media since the incident have voiced their displeasure with Gudas’ actions and with his suspension being only five games. Head coach Craig Berube and GM Brad Treliving both felt the punishment wasn’t severe enough, given that it resulted in the captain’s season coming to an end.

Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver, sent a memo to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, where he described the suspension as ‘laughable and preposterous’ and called for the suspension of the DoPS.

“Listen, is anybody surprised that an agent is going to stand up for his player? I’m not,” Parros said of Moldaver’s comments. “There’s nasty stuff that gets said out there in the social media world, but it’s not my concern.”