The Calgary Flames have played seven games of the 2023-24 NHL season. They started the campaign off with a bang as they recorded a 5-3 win in their first game and home opener against the Winnipeg Jets. Unfortunately, it has been rather downhill from there. There is much to analyze with the team’s play so far, and sadly more negatives than positives. The squad currently sports a 2-4-1 record and has a minus-nine goal differential. New head coach Ryan Huska has his hands full; some lines and players are clicking, but most are struggling and in need of a spark.
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To no help whatsoever, the team recently lost their number one defenseman Rasmus Andersson. The Swede was kicked out of a 3-1 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 20 after he delivered a check to the head of Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine. The play happened in the dying minutes of the game and was deemed a charging major as well as a game misconduct by referees Kelly Sutherland and Peter MacDougall.
It was announced shortly after the game by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman that Andersson would sit for the next four of his team’s games. Three days later, Bettman doubled down as he upheld the suspension after an appeal from Andersson and the NHL Players Association. Let’s look into how the suspension developed, as well as the symbolism it carries with it.
Disappointing Choices Lead to Disappointing Outcomes
Andersson is not a dirty hockey player. That message should be clear to all NHL fans. The soon-to-be 27-year-old has never before been suspended in his six-plus seasons in the league. His only previous brush with the Department of Player Safety was on Oct. 17, 2021, when he was fined $5,000 for roughing former Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto. Andersson averages just 40 penalty minutes per season and is well-respected around the league for his play. He also isn’t overly aggressive, with only 58 hits per 82 games in his career. This action was undoubtedly uncharacteristic for him, and that much is apparent.
Nevertheless, Andersson deliberately chose to launch his body into Laine’s head area, and here we stand. An illegal check always garners a review by the Department of Player Safety, and greater precedence is given to those who are assessed a match penalty in the game and/or injure the player who received the check.
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Laine did not travel with the Blue Jackets and was placed on injured reserve Oct. 20. The check had clear intentions of punishing Laine and wasn’t a hockey play. This can be determined by the head being the principal target, Andersson leaving his feet in delivery, as well as the game situation; the Flames were down two goals with only five seconds left in the game, so there was no sense in administering such a hit.
Bettman Sending a Message, Again
An appeal could have been warranted, given that Andersson was not a repeat offender but received a sentence as if he were. Repeat offenders are always treated with more vigilance, and rightfully so, given that they’ve already been slapped on the wrist. Andersson’s suspension likely raised eyebrows because it has a length not seen since the 2021-22 season, when eight different suspensions warranted four or more games.
One such incident that has many parallels to Andersson’s was on June 3, 2021, when Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele was suspended four games for charging Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans. The plays are pretty similar. Both charging majors and game misconducts, both players checked were injured, both plays happened at the end of a game, and both disciplined players weren’t repeat offenders.
Evans had just scored into an empty net to all but ice the Jets’ chances of winning the game, and Scheifele skated a great length of the ice to deliver a crushing check to him in a vulnerable position. The most glaring differences between his and Andersson’s plays were that Scheifele’s had much more speed involved, and in his instance, the head was not targeted but absorbed a great deal of impact on the hit.
These factors potentially cancel each other out in relative significance. Bettman obviously has the goal of eliminating such plays as these in his league, thus the initial harshness on both. Scheifele didn’t appeal his suspension but would have surely gotten the same reaction from Bettman. The rest of the players should take notice and ensure that they remain levelheaded during the ends of games, especially when losing.
In conclusion, Andersson’s suspension is warranted, and so is its upholding. Players should not be targeting the head of an opponent, taking more strides than needed to deliver hits, leaving their feet for a check, or throwing needless big hits at the end of a lost game. The mantle of being gentlemanly or not being a repeat offender is irrelevant. The Blue Jackets are without one of their best players, and the Flames are now without their leader in ice time and power-play quarterback until Nov. 1, meaning he will miss the NHL Heritage Classic game against the Oilers on Oct. 29.