Mike Matheson may have a call coming from the Department of Player Safety after a heated moment with the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
The Canadiens defenseman caught an opponent off guard, then added another one once the player was already down on the ice.
NHL Review wasn't impressed. "Feel like Matheson should've AT LEAST been given the extra minor," the account posted.
That's the question now. Did the officials miss something, and will the league clean it up after the fact?
The follow-up is what turns this from a heated moment into a Player Safety file.
In the clip, the opposing player goes down after the first exchange, and the veteran follows up with one more while he's on the ice.
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A suspension would cost the Canadiens a veteran in Toronto on Tuesday
He should get at least a fine. Preseason or not, going after a player who's already down is something the league can't pretend it didn't see.
Predicting Player Safety these days is like reading an April weather forecast. You pack an umbrella and hope for the best.
The timing makes it sting. Montreal opens the regular season Tuesday in Toronto, and a suspension would pull a veteran defenseman out of that lineup.
Matheson isn't a depth piece, either. He put up 37 points with a +9 rating last season.
He added four points in 19 playoff games last spring. That's the kind of experience Martin St-Louis doesn't want to lose on opening night.
He's no stranger to the box. The 32-year-old has piled up 394 penalty minutes over 705 NHL games.
Kent Hughes has money elsewhere on the blue line, with Noah Dobson carrying a $9,500,000 cap hit, but losing a veteran for any stretch would still thin the group.
Montreal finished the preseason 4-1.
It could cost him a few bucks, or nothing at all, which would be its own kind of statement. If Player Safety does call, St-Louis' opening night plans change fast.
Should Mike Matheson be suspended for Tuesday's opener in Toronto?
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