The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today that Ryan Hartman, a forward for the Minnesota Wild, has been suspended for two games without pay for tripping Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat during NHL Game No. 316 in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 26.
The incident happened in the third period at 7:51.
According to the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Hartman is deemed a repeat offender and will forfeit $41,463.42, which is equivalent to his average yearly wage. The Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund is the beneficiary of the funds.
A change in leadership was signalled by the St. Louis Blues’ decision to trade centre Ryan O’Reilly on February 17, 2023, which was almost precisely one year ago.
The centre Robert Thomas, 24, took the first step towards establishing himself as the Blues’ starting forward when he signed an eight-year, $65 million contract extension ($8.125 average annual value) on July 13, 2022, nearly seven months prior to the start of the motion.
It meant that Thomas needed to play top-line minutes, shut down the opposition’s best players when on the ice, and continue to find a way to score as many goals as St. Louis was willing to pay him to.
It will be Thomas’s second opportunity to repay the Blues’ faith in keeping him in the lineup for the long run when he and the team (29-23-2) host NHL leading goal-scorer Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs (29-16-8) on Monday (1 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNO). Thomas is a first-time NHL All-Star this season and the only St. Louis representative at 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend.
“Everyone enjoys pressure,” Thomas remarked. “We used to play this game as kids for that reason. You are under constant strain, and you enjoy it. Not on just one or two guys. It makes sense, obviously, given our current salary situation. We can’t wait to accept that challenge and assume that duty. We did a fantastic job responding to that, in my opinion.”
