Man Shanahan is such an idiot. Edler did not aim for his head we stick up for our team and this BS happens. Another team does some crap and what happens? they get away with it. Example Rick Nash unbelievable Shanahan must have suffered some brain trauma or something.
I disagree with Shanahan's reasoning that injuries and contact with the head should factor into the decision. I also agree with most posters here that his rulings have been inconsistent; I feel Nash should have been suspended, though in my opinion this is a scenario in which he failed to assess the Nash incident properly but made a reasonable call here. Inconsistency is what plagues the NHL's decision-making about supplemental discipline.
There is obviously not a rule, that to me is the problem, I think it could work if they made the rule like this.
A player cannot "Check" the goalie even when behind the net, However if the goalie chooses to leave the crease to play the puck behind the net then he must leave room for the opposition player to pass by along the boards. If there is not enough room for the opposition player to pass buy then contact will be considered Incidental.
This puts the responsibility on both goalies and opposition to not make contact, and tells players what is acceptable, as the rules are written now, it is up for interpretation, and that can change from player to player ref to ref. you have written your interpretation, and that is cool. I say clean the rule book up to mean something concrete
I also do not like having a player in a contact sport that is both untouchable and not responsible for where he is.
There certainly needs to be a rule to prevent contact from occurring between the goaltender and the opposing skater. Goaltenders will struggle handling pucks, however, if they try to hesitantly reach it along the boards; that could cause more chaos than one might expect, as players would feel entitled to run over the goaltender if he is along the boards. It's only natural for them to be against the boards to stop the puck.
I think, if a rule were to be implemented, the trapezoid should be treated much like the goal crease is, but at the same time also like the no-play areas. If the goaltender enters the trapezoid before any opposing player crosses the goal line, players entering the trapezoid from above the goal line should have to slow down and try to avoid initiating contact with the goaltender behind the net; instead of skating around him, they would have to fish for the puck around him. This should emulate puck battles along the boards. If the skater initiates contact, he should receive a penalty. If an opposing player is already below the goal line while the goalie is still in the crease, however, the goaltender should not be allowed to enter the trapezoid until all opposing players leave the area behind the goal line; if he does enter before all players have cleared the area behind the goal line, he should be penalized. It would be about who is behind the net first.
That's how I think contact could be minimized.