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Canucks don’t agree with Edler suspension

2011 NHL Entry Draft - Round One

during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota.

Bruce Bennett

The Vancouver Canucks offered a brief statement Friday, after their defenceman, Alex Edler, was suspended two games by the NHL.

Edler received the ban Friday afternoon. He was assessed a major penalty for charging late in the second period of Thursday’s game against the Phoenix Coyotes, when he collided with goalie Mike Smith behind the Phoenix net.

Needless to say, the Canucks didn’t agree with the suspension.

“As an organization we respect the NHL and its process for supplemental discipline,” Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said in a statement on the team’s website.

“While we may not agree with this ruling, we will move forward and prepare for our important game tomorrow in Los Angeles. We do not intend to comment further on this matter.”

Edler, who had no previous history of supplemental discipline from the league, has five goals and 17 points in 30 games with the Canucks this season.

Edler will be unavailable for Vancouver’s next two games - Saturday in L.A. against the Kings and Sunday in Colorado against the Avalanche.

The issue of consistency when it comes to supplementary discipline has once again been called into question.

Earlier in the day, prior to news of the Edler suspension, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul took to the social media website Twitter to voice his confusion over the two-game ban he received for a hit on Tampa Bay Lightning blue liner Victor Hedman.

More controversy swelled Friday when New York Rangers forward Rick Nash wasn’t disciplined by the league for his hit on Tomas Kopecky the night before.

The Nash hit, in which he came up almost completely behind Kopecky, left his feet and delivered a blow to the head of the Florida Panther winger, was deemed “rotten” but not worth a suspension by league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan .