The NHL mandated a crackdown on slashing by calling more penalties in 2017-18, but it’s essentially been status quo when it comes to supplemental discipline.
To be more precise, the league’s kept with precedent, which generally means favoring fines instead of suspensions for hacking and slashing that seems especially nasty.
So, it might not be satisfying to Florida Panthers fans to see Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard receive a $5K fine (but no suspension) for his slash on Vincent Trocheck, but this follows the league’s pattern of decisions.
Here’s the moment in question, which didn’t yield a penalty during the Blue Jackets’ eventual shootout win against the Panthers:
Blatant slash on Trocheck's hands by Savard...no call: pic.twitter.com/I5GhkGLMRu
— Cats On The Prowl (@Cats0ntheprowl) January 8, 2018
It doesn’t seem like Trocheck is going to miss any time because of that big slash, so at least there’s that for Panthers fans.
The NHL adhering to fines instead of suspensions for slashing prompts a fair question: should the league consider handing out suspensions more often for blatant slashes? Whether the Savard one ranks as such or not, it’s a reasonable question to ask.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.