Duncan Keith has waived his right to an in-person hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Keith was tossed and suspended indefinitely for “high-sticking” Wild forward Charlie Coyle back on Mar. 29. He will instead have a phone hearing later on this afternoon.
It was an ugly incident and the fact that the Department of Player Safety wanted to meet with Keith in person means he can be suspended for more than five games.
Including tonight’s game against the Jets, the ‘Hawks have five games remaining in their regular season calendar. A suspension longer than that would result in Keith missing upcoming playoff games.
The 32-year-old is obviously a huge piece of Chicago’s core. He has 43 points in 67 games while averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per game. He plays in every situation.
Keith missed 10 games earlier this season because of a lower-body injury. The Blackhawks won their first three games without him, but they ended up having a mediocre 5-4-1 record during his absence.
Chicago's Duncan Keith has waived his right to an in person hearing. A phone hearing will be conducted Friday afternoon.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 1, 2016
Related:
--Quenneville ‘hopeful’ that Crawford will be back for playoffs