The Toronto Maple Leafs and defenceman Morgan Rielly appealed his recent five-game suspension, which was upheld at five games. He was suspended for cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig in the face after he shot the puck into an empty net from about five feet away. This quickly became the talk of the NHL, with many sharing their opinions on social media. Well, the Maple Leafs and Rielly took the appeal to Commissioner Gary Bettman, which is the process with his five-game ban. A player who has been suspended for five games can appeal, however, the suspension is heard by Bettman himself rather than a private judicator.
The news means Reilly can play against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. Rielly, Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan and general manager Brad Treliving felt that Rielly had a case to get his suspension reduced. He is a first-time offender, which should be taken into consideration, but also there have been similar style plays that resulted in the players receiving less. For example, Blake Lizotte of the Los Angeles Kings cross-checked Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey in the face and was given a one-game suspension. However, in this specific case, Bettman ruled that Rielly had time to engage Greig differently, ” e.g. with a push or a shove or even by dropping his gloves to fight.”. He said if he had reacted differently, “there likely would have been no need for supplementary discipline.”
Getting Rielly back early could have been huge news for the Maple Leafs because their blue line is depleted. They recently called up Marshall Rifai from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate due to an injury to William Lagesson. To have Rielly back a game or two earlier would have been a big help on their four-game road trip. Unfortunately, they will need to wait the entire five-game suspension.
The Maple Leafs had their mid-day manatee against the St. Louis Blues on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, before they head to face the Arizona Coyotes, Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche for the remainder of the road trip. Given the tight race in the Atlantic Division, this could be their biggest road trip of the season. The team is in third and looking to catch the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers, with only 28 games left.
Related: 2 Trade Destinations for Maple Leafs’ Timothy Liljegren
Rielly has seven goals and 43 points in 50 games. He will look to continue playing as well as he was before his suspension.
