Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly is having an in-person meeting with the Department of Player Safety. Rielly will most likely be unfairly punished by the DOPS for them to send a message.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will surely be angry if Rielly is suspended for more than two or three games. An in-person meeting usually means at least five games, which I find absurd.
The play in question shouldn't even be a suspension in my opinion. The initial point of contact was the shoulder, and I think that slow-motion replays make it look a lot worse than it is.
There is ample precedent of similar plays getting just fines or short suspensions. If Parros suspends Rielly for longer than a couple games, I believe it will be because he is biased against the Leafs.
George Parros Is Still Bitter Towards Toronto Maple Leafs
I think it is safe to say that George Parros, the person in charge of the DOPS, still holds a grudge against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
During a game between the Leafs and Montreal Canadiens on October 2nd, 2013, while engaging with Leafs enforcer Colton Orr in their second fight of the night, Orr lost his footing and took Parros with him.
Parros could not react fast enough to protect himself, and his face hit the ice violently. What some people tend to forget or choose to forget is that it was Orr who immediately waved to the benches for help as he saw that Parros was unresponsive.
The fact that a former enforcer is the person in charge of handing out discipline is a joke. Rielly getting suspended will be an even bigger joke. I hope he appeals and wins.
The DOPS is a total farce, and so is Parros. The number of plays I have seen this season, which should have been suspensions but were only fines, is crazy. Of course, some will argue that Rielly deserves a suspension, but when you factor in that he is not a repeat offender and worse plays equaled fines, why does his play warrant a suspension? It doesn't.
Rielly, the Leafs, and everyone else will learn on Tuesday what Rielly's suspension will be, but I, along with many others, don't think there should be a suspension at all. It is a shame that we have to wait until next season to play the Senators again. Hopefully, Greig is still playing for the Senators by then, and we can see how things play out.