One defense of the ruling not to suspend Nazem Kadri for a controversial hit on Daniel Sedin was that the Department of Player Safety was, well, playing by the rules.
By that train of thought, the key to removing hits like those - assuming you want to, depending on your position as a “hawk” or a “dove"* - is changing the wording in the rulebook.
Specifically, will GMs change rule 48 to address blindside hits and other hits to the head? Hockey Insider Darren Dreger was on NBCSN on Wednesday, and while his discussion is interesting, the takeaway is maybe a little unsatisfying.
His belief: that we might be having a rather similar discussion next year.
Well, that’s unfortunate, at least for those who want to see these types of checks eliminated, or at least reduced.
Here’s the hit in question, in case you need a refresher:
Dreger also discusses how the NHL might handle “shenanigans” that could ensue after a Canucks player reportedly threatened to “kill” Matt Martin after the game, so make sure to watch the full video of Dreger’s illuminating appearance.
* - Anyone else super-excited for political-style debates on this strange Wednesday?
/cough