Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid and the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) have decided not to challenge his three-game suspension for a cross-check to the head of Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland, according to an NHL source who spoke with ESPN on Tuesday.
There had been speculation on Monday night that McDavid might appeal the suspension to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who would have the final say on whether the penalty could be reduced.
However, McDavid’s team chose not to pursue an appeal, understanding that the process might not allow enough time to prevent him from missing the next three games. Additionally, Bettman rarely changes decisions made by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
“I guess we don’t overly care about having our best players in the league in the game,” said Oilers center Leon Draisaitl on Tuesday regarding McDavid’s suspension. “I’ll leave it at that.”
McDavid, who ranks fourth in NHL scoring with 65 points in 43 games, will miss three home games: one against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, one against the Canucks on Thursday, and one against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. As part of the suspension, McDavid will forfeit $195,312.51 in salary, which will be donated to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
“It’s a game, you know. It’s a passion, obviously. I don’t think he meant to do that,” said Capitals star Alex Ovechkin when asked about McDavid missing the game. “But sucks for him, good for us. He’s not playing tonight, we’ll take it.”
The suspension came after an incident in Saturday night’s game when McDavid and Garland fell to the ice with less than a minute left in regulation.
As McDavid tried to get back up, Garland grabbed his arm, which led McDavid to punch him with his glove to free himself. When McDavid tried to get back in the play, Garland wrapped his arms around him and took him down a second time. As they got up again, McDavid delivered a hard cross-check to Garland’s head.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety explained that this was not a typical move by McDavid to gain body position. Instead, McDavid was retaliating aggressively, raising his stick significantly and making contact with Garland’s head with enough force to warrant a suspension.
McDavid has been suspended once before in his NHL career, for an illegal check to the head of New York Islanders’ Nick Leddy in February 2019. He was also fined $5,000 in March 2021 for elbowing Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadiens.
Many Oilers players expressed disagreement with the suspension. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm called the decision “way too high” and said it was “mind-blowing” that the NHL Department of Player Safety imposed such a penalty.
Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers also received a three-game suspension for a cross-check to the head of Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard, which happened right after the McDavid incident.
“I think three games is a little too much for either side,” Draisaitl added.
