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The NHL Hands Down a One-Game Suspension to Kaiden Guhle

The Montreal Canadiens defenceman Kaiden Guhle has been handed down a one-game suspension. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety made the decision on Friday to hand down Guhle the one game. The incident itself was as Guhle sat on the bench, he reached out with his stick and slashed Philadelphia Flyer forward Travis Konecny. This would by no means be a malicious act, but the fact that he was not on the ice, definitely warranted a suspension. 

Kaiden Guhle of the Canadiens Receives a One-Game Suspension

The 22-year-old Canadien defenceman is in just his second season in the NHL, with 112 games under his belt. Furthermore, for Kaiden Guhle, this marks the first suspension of his career. All these factors mattered when it came to determining the severity of the punishment. Guhle isn’t known as an overly aggressive player, but he does possess a feisty side. That is evidenced by his 197 hits and 83 PIMs so far in his NHL career. Also, he plays just over 21 minutes a night this year in Montreal. Therefore, he is often involved in the play, and skating fast on pucks. Sometimes your emotions get the best of you. Now, the fact he did such an act from the bench, directly resulted in him being suspended. 

Did the Action Justify the Decision?

Konecny seemed to be caught off guard by the act. Hence, he reacted as if he had been hurt on the play, shaking and holding his hand that was hit by Guhle. Furthermore, Guhle was reacting to a confrontation by Konecny, as he was tied up in front of the Flyers bench with Juraj Slafkovsky. Guhle, as a defenceman, was likely looking to stick up for the Canadiens 2022 first-overall draft selection. All-in-all, this is not something you will grow to expect from Guhle, and he will learn from it. But at the same time, Guhle is a gamer, and as the Canadiens grow into a competitive team, he will need to keep his emotions in check, while still sticking up for his teammates. 

Main photo: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Levi Pike, Editor

Levi Pike, Editor

Levi Pike is an editor and writer here at Last Word on Hockey. He has lived all over Canada but grew up in Nanaimo, BC. Currently, he lives with his loving wife, three kids, and dog in the capital of the Easterly most province of Canada, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. He’s passionate about hockey, in particular, the Ottawa Senators and statistics. He received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Statistics at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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