Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman was suspended two games Monday after slew-footing Detroit Red Wings goal scorer Alex DeBrincat in Sunday’s 4-1 loss at Detroit. Here’s what you need to know:
- Hartman was deemed a repeat offender after being suspended for one game in April for interference on Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers. That means he suspended based on games in a season rather than days. Based on his salary, Hartman will lose $20,731.70 per game or 41,463.41 in total.
- This is Hartman’s third suspension in his 10-year career. The NHL says he has also been fined six previous times.
- Hartman will miss games this week against St. Louis and at Nashville.
How much of a bind does this put the Wild in?
A big one for a team that has lost seven in a row. The Wild only have enough cap space to afford another $822,000 hockey player from the minors. So unless the Wild go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen Tuesday against the Blues, the Wild will have to recall a forward and eat into most of their available cap space during Hartman’s suspension.
Additionally, during Hartman’s absence, the Wild will be a short-term injury away from having to play short one player for one game (they did that in a win at Montreal last month) before going into an emergency recall situation that will allow them to recall players making $875,000 or less (league minimum salary plus $100,000). Hartman, who plays on the edge and sometimes crosses the line, will have to be squeaky clean for another 18 months until his repeat offender status expires.
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(Photo: David Berding / Getty Images)
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
