Toronto Maple Leafs: Kadri’s Suspension Completely Deserved
In a series so utterly reliant on matchups, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be without their most effective matchup centre until Game Five.
If they’re still around by then, that is.
The worst part of this entire fiasco is that the player in question, Nazem Kadri, did this to himself. All it took was a split second for Kadri to shut off all mechanisms within his brain responsible for monitoring common sense, and nearly decapitate Boston’s Tommy Wingels.
It was a viciously dangerous hit that serves no purpose or function in any sport, including hockey.
On Friday night, news of Kadri’s three-game suspension floated down the grapevine, staunchly splitting Twitter into two distinct camps.
There were those commending the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for finally levying a suitable punishment befitting the crime. And then arose the camp of outraged fans, fuming at the suspension’s length.
As for where I stand? Well, I’m closer to the former.
Inconsistency
Is the DPOS’s decision wildly inconsistent with almost the entirety of their past rulings? Absolutely. We’ve seen players come within an inch of murdering their opponent, only to walk away with a $5,000 fine.
The playoffs are when whistles seclude into hibernation, turning hockey into Mad Max: Thunderdome on ice.
A three-game ruling just doesn’t line up. In fact, it’s the longest postseason suspension handed down by the DOPS since 2016, when Brooks Orpik earned the same punishment for his predatory hit on Pittsburgh’s Olli Maatta.
While Orpik’s hit is completely unacceptable, I’d argue Kadri’s is even more egregious. If anything, Kadri got off lucky.
To make matters worse, nine-time repeat offender Brad Marchand happens to (unfortunately) exist. For years, Marchand has seemingly been granted immunity from consequence, repeatedly committing despicable acts of violence while avoiding any form of impactful supplemental discipline.
Why would the NHL throw the book at Kadri when this walking headshot freely roams the same ice surface?
Well, those opinions are all well and good. In fact, it’s your democratic right to have them.
Punishment Fits the Crime
What they ignore, however, is the fact that Kadri is absolutely deserving of his suspension, regardless of what past rulings lead us to believe.
If you can look at the hit above while still concluding it’s unworthy of a three-game suspension, you’re either too much of a homer to think impartially or you possess a warped perception of violence.
A player is simply not allowed to launch his entire body, at full speed, directly into the head of a defenceless opponent. Such a reality, my friends, is not subjective. It doesn’t matter what occurred before the hit, Kadri’s method of response is unacceptable in every fathomable way.
Let me put it this way.
If a Bruin did anything close to what Kadri inflicted upon Wingels, half the population of Toronto would’ve already marched themselves to Boston, on foot, to exact revenge on the offender themselves.
I understand our fandom gets cranked up to 11 come postseason. It’s what makes the playoffs such a magical place. But, that shouldn’t mean we willfully abandon our sense of right and wrong.
And no matter how you choose to look at it, what Kadri did was wrong.
Misplaced Hatred
Rather than directing your hatred solely towards the DOPS, I’ve got a better idea. Instead, why not direct that hatred towards Kadri himself?
In the first game of what’s arguably the most high-stakes hockey the Toronto Maple Leafs have been apart of since 2004 (2013 who?), one of their most important players chose to act both irrationally and selfishly. And, because of that misguided choice, he’s now severely handicapped his own team amidst the exact circumstances when they need him the most.
Now, I’m not advocating for dragging Kadri through the mud. Not at all.
What I am saying is that exhausting yourself by complaining about the worst run sports league in North America is a misguided avenue for your energy. This series is entirely dependent on matchups. Such an assertion is common knowledge. The media said. The fans said it. And I’d bet my left pinky finger Mike Babcock said it too.
Kadri knows he’s Toronto’s best matchup centre. And instead, he earned himself a three-game ban for exacting revenge on a third liner AT BEST. As it stands now, his team finds themselves in a far deeper hole than they’d otherwise be ahead of Game Two, solely due to Kadri’s poor decision making.
These aren’t the actions of an overenthusiastic rookie. Kadri is 27-years-old. He’s a veteran. By every stretch of the imagination, he should know better.
So yes, you can complain about the NHL’s Department of Player Safety and their inconsistencies until your lungs give out. But, don’t let that cloud how each game of Kadri’s suspension is completely deserved.
Thanks for reading.