Penguins fans and the team lose a top-line presence and Evgeni Malkin forfeits $158, 854. 15 under the malkin suspension announced after a Department of Player Safety review. Friday at 6: 00 p. m. ET, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety moved to discipline Malkin for a slashing incident involving Rasmus Dahlin.
Evgeni Malkin’s production that the Pittsburgh Penguins now must replace
Evgeni Malkin has 13 goals and 47 points in 46 games this season, a scoring total the Penguins will be without in the next slate of matchups; that stat reflects his on-ice contribution separate from the disciplinary outcome announced earlier.
Malkin Suspension: Evgeni Malkin’s penalties and the moment that triggered review
The malkin suspension follows an incident that occurred at 0: 35 of the second period of NHL Game No. 977 in Pittsburgh on Thursday, March 5, when Malkin was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking, a major penalty for slashing and a game misconduct that removed him from the contest.
Rasmus Dahlin, video evidence and the Department of Player Safety’s finding
Video showed contact at the side of the Buffalo net in which Dahlin cross-checked Malkin and Malkin subsequently struck Dahlin on the helmet and shoulder; the NHL’s Department of Player Safety noted that Malkin was not off-balance and that the contact was not accidental, findings that contributed to the disciplinary decision.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and based on his average annual salary, Evgeni Malkin will forfeit $158, 854. 15, with that money directed to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund as part of the disciplinary process.
Malkin was assessed a five-minute major for slashing and a 10-minute game misconduct in the game ejection sequence, and both players were given offsetting minor penalties for cross-checking during the same sequence of events; those in-game rulings were carried into the league’s subsequent review.
The hearing tied to this case was held Friday at 6: 00 p. m. ET with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety; that hearing structure limited the maximum possible suspension to five games, and the formal penalty issued matched that limit.
Malkin has been disciplined in past seasons, with two previous suspensions referenced in league records; those prior actions formed part of the league’s disciplinary history for the player used in review processes.
If the NHL’s Department of Player Safety were to alter the ruling, the five-game sanction and the $158, 854. 15 forfeiture would change.
