NHL grants Capitals special status concerning Tom Wilson and roster spots

North Cole

♧ Lem
Jan 22, 2017
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I'd argue that most of the guys getting long suspensions these days aren't 4th line plugs.

Wilson, Wideman, Voynov, Torres, Cooke...

4th line plugs probably isnt the right term, I just mean they arent all that difficult to replace. A long suspension to me is 10+ games, the 20+ doesn't happen very often and some of the ones you listed are more than 4+ years ago, so does that really qualify as "these days"?

Voynov (2014) - season (not hockey related)
Torres (2015) - 41 games
Cooke (2011) - 17 games
Wideman (2016) - 20 games (not player related)

Two of those listed arent the result of incidents between players. The wideman (similar to Vermette) incident wasnt handled by the DPOS and the penalty is pretty much set in stone. The voynov thing was indefinite and he ended up being deported for breaking the law. No reason to compare either of those suspensions to the normal run of the mill suspensions IMO.

In the last two seasons (10 or more game suspensions)

Luke Witowski - 10 games (leaving the bench)
Radko Gudas -10 games (slashing)
Alex Burrows -10 games (Aggressor/fight)
*Vermette - 10 (slashing an official)

Then you have wideman & torres from the previous year. Excluded Vermette because his suspension isnt related to his on ice play vs a player, though he is easily the best player in the last few years to have a big suspension. Burrows was a far cry from his Vancouver self when he got suspended and was largely a role player. Witowski is junk and Gudas is a legitimate psycho who is semi-reasonable defensively. None of those guys are difficult to replace with other depth players. Most of the guys you listed arent either, with the exception of maybe Voynov. But again, he was suspended and deported, so that is what I would consider to be extraneous circumstances....

In summary, I dont understand the thought process that some posters have when they get upset that their guy being suspended for 10 games doesnt get roster consideration. First of all, those suspensions are rare. Secondly, these players being suspended really arent good to being with. I'm also quite sure that LA would have gotten roster consideration for Voynov so that doesn't even relate to this issue. The loss of a guy like Witowski/Burrows/Gudas (hes suspended all the time anyways) is hardly noticed when cutting a roster from 23 guys to 22 guys.
 

tony d

Registered User
Jun 23, 2007
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Behind A Tree
Disagree with this 1. The guy's suspended. No need for the league to change anything in regards to the cap for players being out.
 

redcard

System Poster
Mar 12, 2007
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That happened long after he was suspended. Kings played with 5D cause they couldn't bring anyone in his place.

Your complaint that the NHL didn't allow the same exemption to be applied for Voynov is untrue. It took longer for it to be applied, but the caps weren't immediately granted it either. LA played one game with 5D was because Regehr got hurt and they couldn't call up McBain until the next day, they played 1 game with 17 skaters but that was within the first 8 days of the suspension which means if NHL had allowed the exemption for LA under the same time frame as they allowed it for Washington the Kings still would have played the game short.

The Kings were granted the same exemption for Voynov, the Sharks were granted the same exemption for Torres, this is the established process and isn't "unfair" or "inconsistent."
 
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mouser

Business of Hockey
Jul 13, 2006
29,285
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South Mountain
I agree this whole process needs to be updated badly in the next CBA. I just don't understand when we all know it is going to go to a third party arbitrator why we haven't already started that process.

I think you should be entitled to the roster spot since you are fighting the existing penalty. Maybe that isn't a part of their logic in granting it, but I agree with doing that in this kind of scenario.

Why do we know it's going to the independent arbitrator? I don't believe Torres did that.
 

Filthy Dangles

Registered User*
Oct 23, 2014
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this thread
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iamjs

Registered User
Oct 1, 2008
12,569
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This isn't the first time the NHL has granted such an exemption. So it's not just the Capitals getting these rules.

that doesn't make it right either. If a player is suspended, it shouldn't be a "well, he's suspended, buuuuuut..." The team should get no relief from this either, and yes I realize a similar ruling was already granted with Torres and the Sharks.

Now the next suspension will reference this case and teams will no longer lose that roster spot.

Nice going, NHL.
 

Cor

I am a bot
Jun 24, 2012
69,648
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AEF
It makes sense lol

Capitals lose one of their key players
Wilson loses out on 20 games of his season and the salary.


Adding that they can't roster the same amount of players as other teams is overkill. As others have said, shorter suspensions can be managed, but for 20 games? Who cares if WSH can have 3 guys in the pressbox instead of 2?
 

Sol

Smile
Jun 30, 2017
22,757
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Your complaint that the NHL didn't allow the same exemption to be applied for Voynov is untrue. It took longer for it to be applied, but the caps weren't immediately granted it either. LA played one game with 5D was because Regehr got hurt and they couldn't call up McBain until the next day, they played 1 game with 17 skaters but that was within the first 8 days of the suspension which means if NHL had allowed the exemption for LA under the same time frame as they allowed it for Washington the Kings still would have played the game short.

The Kings were granted the same exemption for Voynov, the Sharks were granted the same exemption for Torres, this is the established process and isn't "unfair" or "inconsistent."

I don't remember it being one game... hence LIES.
 

lwvs84

Registered User
Jan 25, 2003
4,050
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Los Angeles, CA
NHL just needs to make a ruling on this and stick to it. Long term suspensions are becoming more common (3 already that are double digit games?). This issue is going to keep coming up. Personally, I think cap hit should keep counting toward the team but roster spot should not... though I could see an argument that it should. There shouldn't be room for interpretation on this, just make it consistent one way or the other.
 

me2

Go ahead foot
Jun 28, 2002
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Make my day.
I feel like it makes sense and it would be unfair to screw over the Capitals by having a 22 man roster for 20 games, but at the same point, I feel like you should just make all suspended players non-roster players if you're going to do it for the big suspensions.

I agree, all or none. All is fine, treat it like LTIR without any of the cap relief. Imagine a bench clearing brawl in which two sides lost 10 players each to suspension, ice 13 man rosters?

I suggest the reason we don't hear more about these exemptions is most teams must find it easier to get by for a few games with 22 men that applu for the exemption.
 
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me2

Go ahead foot
Jun 28, 2002
37,903
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Make my day.
I'd put it at 8 games. Or a tenth of the season. However, I am fine with 10 games being the threshold.

If there is a threshold it would be 5/6. 5 and under there is no appeal process, anything 6+ players can appeal. That seems like the logical cut in point.
 

MarkusKetterer

Shoulda got one game in
IIRC, leaving the bench to engage in an altercation is an automatic 10-gamer. I believe Eric Godard did it way back during the Pens-Isles fiasco. He was suspended 10 games, and took up a roster spot during that time.

Yea but those are automatic suspensions. There is no hearing and they decide how many games you get. There's a difference in them to me.
 

The Macho King

Back* to Back** World Champion
Jun 22, 2011
48,610
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Looks like we finally have a date for his appeal hearing. Nearly 3 weeks after the hit. I wish I could get paid $9.5 million a year to take 3 weeks to do my job. There is no explanation to why Bettman couldn't have done this within days of the suspension being announced. Good riddance.

Tom Wilson to have appeal hearing with NHL commissioner on Thursday
This may come as a shock to you, but appeals from DoPS rulings is probably pretty low on the list of shit a commissioner has to deal with during the ordinary course of his duties.
 

PatriceBergeronFan

Registered User
Jul 15, 2011
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joestevens29

Registered User
Apr 30, 2009
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I somewhat agree with the Caps getting the extra spot, but the rule should read that way for every team that has suspended players.
 

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