After waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting some more, the league’s ruling on Morgan Rielly finally came down on Tuesday night —minutes before puck drop between the Leafs and the visiting St. Louis Blues.

Five games.

So, after the social media storm of the past 48 hours where it really felt like the NHL was going to come down extremely hard on the 29-year-old blue liner, they settled at one less game than David Perron received earlier this season.

In the grand scheme of things, yes, it’s still a substantial suspension. That said, it could’ve been much worse. Seriously, the way people were talking about the hit the past few days, Leafs Nation was bracing for an exorbitant number. Weirdly, it really feels like Rielly and the Leafs dodged a bullet.

At any rate, Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill got together for a quick hitter to share their thoughts on the suspension.

“Lower than I thought,” said Rosehill. “It’s nice to not go overboard and crucify a guy. I thought he would get six, seven, I really did.”

Since Saturday night, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety has been under fire for its inconsistent/unpredictable nature. On Monday, Rielly was offered an in-person hearing in New York City, which meant he could be suspended for more than five games. In the end, due to inclement weather, the two sides conducted a call via Zoom on Tuesday afternoon before the verdict was ultimately reached.

At this point, there hasn’t been an indication – one way or another – if Rielly plans to appeal the suspension. Tentatively, he would be eligible to return on February 22^nd when Toronto visits the Vegas Golden Knights.

Some food for thought: The Leafs went 14-2-1 without Rielly in the lineup last season.