The NHL Player Safety Committee has announced that Nashville Predators skater Michael McCarron has been suspended for two games. This comes after he made an illegal check to the head on Yanni Gourde of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The committee announced the suspension Sunday afternoon.
Nashville’s Michael McCarron has been suspended for two games for an Illegal Check to the Head on Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde. https://t.co/itCbd2TM2T
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 11, 2021
Predators Michael McCarron Suspended
McCarron has been nothing more than a spare player in 2020-21. The 25-year-old has appeared in just five games with no points and 11 hits. He has been used mostly as a bottom-line skater and only at even strength. His 50.0 percent Corsi For isn’t bad, but he’s an active drain on offence with a -6.8 relative Corsi. There really isn’t much else notable about McCarron this year with so few appearances.
The Montreal Canadiens originally drafted McCarron in the first round of the 2013 Draft. He skated for the Habs from 2015-16 through 2017-18, appearing in 69 games with two goals, eight points, and 185 hits. Montreal traded McCarron to Nashville in 2020 in exchange for Laurent Dauphin. He is clearly a throwback to an era where size and physical play were valued much more than those features are in the modern NHL. That is obvious given his 6′-6″, 232-pound frame and general lack of usage in four years. He still has some value, but it’s very limited with the league’s current focus on skill.
How Nashville Replaces McCarron
McCarron wasn’t playing a significant role, but it still hurts. The team was already suffering from multiple injuries to key players. This suspension decreases a thin roster that much further. Someone from the taxi squad will move to the active roster for the two games he is unavailable. Tomas Novak is currently listed as an option per CapFriendly, but someone else may be promoted as well. This is not the most devastating obstacle the team has faced, but it does limit their immediate depth during a tight playoff race.
Main Photo:
