The NHL has assigned a hearing to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jared McCann for an elbow to the head. The hit came during a second consecutive loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Travis Sanheim was on the receiving end, but he was able to accumulate 20:30 of ice time. Today’s hearing will likely results in a suspension.
Pittsburgh’s Jared McCann will have a hearing today for Elbowing Philadelphia’s Travis Sanheim.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 16, 2021
Penguins Jared McCann Receives Hearing
McCann has been a steady presence for the Penguins for the past several years. The 24-year-old had one of his best seasons in 2019-20 with 14 goals and 35 points in 66 games. The point total tied his career-high that was established in 2018-19. McCann is also capable of solid physical play with 89 hits and 27 blocks last season. A 49.0 percent career Corsi For isn’t especially good, but it’s fine considering that McCann is not usually a major factor on offence.
The Vancouver Canucks originally drafted McCann in the first round of the 2014 Draft and debuted the young skater in 2015-16. He got off to a good start with nine goals and 18 points in 69 games, but the team traded him to the Florida Panthers in a trade that included Erik Gudbranson in 2016. Florida then traded McCann to Pittsburgh in 2019 as part of a deal that included Derick Brassard. Overall, McCann has 52 goals and 124 points in 311 NHL games.
How Pittsburgh Replaces McCann
Expect Pittsburgh to do some shuffling to compensate for McCann’s expected absence. They could do several things including move Teddy Blueger to the third line and pull Frederick Gaudreau from the taxi squad. The Penguins aren’t especially deep, but they have just enough to manage despite some injuries to players like Zach Aston-Reese.
The league will continue to police high hits aggressively. They already suspended St. Louis Blues forward Sammy Blais for a high hit against Devon Toews, but McCann’s hit on Sanheim looked even worse. NHL Player Safety will take this situation seriously despite it being McCann’s first suspension.
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