[Report] Tom Wilson suspended 2 games

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[Bocivus]

Beat me by a minute. 

[Rob_Zepp]

I hate when they use slow motion to justify these calls.   Wilson is not necessarily clear that the puck has moved on and he makes the motion to make the hit well before the actual hit - that isn't "predatory", it is called finishing your check.   This sort of play is something that players like Wilson and Virtanen should not have removed from their games just because they can deliver such hits (it was a clean hit) no more than taking away drop passes from players who can pull them off.   

[Kaner]

Why does the NHL even bother suspending a player if it's in the preseason? 

 

I thought the whole point of suspending someone is to discipline them. How is suspending a player for a couple meaningless games accomplishing that? 

 

[TheHitman]

Sucks for St Louis, they have to start protecting the next Bo Horvat.

[JM_]

2 hours ago, Rob_Zepp said:

I hate when they use slow motion to justify these calls.   Wilson is not necessarily clear that the puck has moved on and he makes the motion to make the hit well before the actual hit - that isn't "predatory", it is called finishing your check.   This sort of play is something that players like Wilson and Virtanen should not have removed from their games just because they can deliver such hits (it was a clean hit) no more than taking away drop passes from players who can pull them off.   

but blindside is fine at DoPS. Okie dokie. 

[RRypien37]

2 hours ago, TheHitman said:

Sucks for St Louis, they have to start protecting the next Bo Horvat.

And they traded away Reaves 

[Rob_Zepp]

52 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

but blindside is fine at DoPS. Okie dokie. 

I have watched hits like this against teams I follow with absolutely no calls yet suspensions and this was a clean hit and the player who got hit was not disadvantaged (in slow motion it makes it look worse than it was in terms of vision).   I would say, at worst, a warning.   Anyway, as long as it is equally called all season AND bigger, stronger players don't get excessively targeted for being bigger and stronger then I guess it will be ok - I just don't trust that it will be unbiased let alone consistent.

[Rob_Zepp]

56 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

but blindside is fine at DoPS. Okie dokie. 

PS - I REALLY like the way Wilson plays the game so I am not keen to see him change it.   I think he is still developing (yes, I DO believe power forwards take longer to develop and NO I don't need someone cherry picking stats to convince me otherwise) and could see a top end that includes 20 plus goals, 100 plus minutes in the box and massive open ice creation for his teammates as the other team more worried about him than the puck.    Players like this are worth their first round pick position more than many who only look at fantasy points will ever realize.

[JM_]

11 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

PS - I REALLY like the way Wilson plays the game so I am not keen to see him change it.   I think he is still developing (yes, I DO believe power forwards take longer to develop and NO I don't need someone cherry picking stats to convince me otherwise) and could see a top end that includes 20 plus goals, 100 plus minutes in the box and massive open ice creation for his teammates as the other team more worried about him than the puck.    Players like this are worth their first round pick position more than many who only look at fantasy points will ever realize.

I'd be happy to have him here.

 

It is a bit worrying though, it seems as if the NHL is trying to reduce the effectiveness of some skill sets like face-offs and harder play like Wilsons. 

[Gollumpus]

1 hour ago, Jimmy McGill said:

I'd be happy to have him here.

 

It is a bit worrying though, it seems as if the NHL is trying to reduce the effectiveness of some skill sets like face-offs and harder play like Wilsons. 

I've had a feeling for some time now that the NHL would love regular and playoff games to resemble how the "All-Star" games have been played for the past while. Little to no hitting or physicality, lots of skating and scoring cuz' that's what sells on TV in 'Murica.

 

                                                                     regards, G.

[VanGnome]

I'm actually on the leagues side on this one, not sure what everyone is thinking. The fact that he had to come across from the center of the ice and make a course correction in order to make contact assures two things:

1. It was not a reactionary hit. Wilson had to be following the play closely enough to be able to time his hit to make the most impact he could;

2. Because Wilson had to be tracking the play in order to lay the hit, it's absolutely certain that he knew where the puck was prior to committing to the hit.

There was simply NO reason for Wilson to finish this check, his teammate who was skating literally right beside the guy who had the puck if anyone should have finished their check. The Washington teammate beside the St. Louis player knew enough that the puck was out of possession and therefore was ineligible to be hit, but Wilson, an NHL veteran of more than 330 games did not?

I'm sorry, but you don't last 330+ games in the NHL by not understanding defensive assignments (which he clearly abandoned his in order to make the hit). Wilson knew exactly what he was doing, and by George he as going to finish that check.

This is nothing more than a borderline 3rd/4th line tweener trying to impress his coaching staff so that he either secures his place on the team, or more likely tries to impress enough to try and get a promotion up the depth chart into the top 6.

[riffraff]

I'd say he was too far from the puck for this hit to be legal, hence the interference call.

 

not suspension worthy.

[Shift-4]

45 minutes ago, riffraff said:

I'd say he was too far from the puck for this hit to be legal, hence the interference call.

 

not suspension worthy.

And since it is a 'preseason game suspension' I would say he wasn't suspended.  lol