"I mean, you lose a guy for the rest of the year, your leader, their guy gets five games. I don't know. It's not the first time he's done it, either. Frustrating. I mean, I can sit here and say whatever, but it's not going to change it. I'm not in charge. I'm not George sitting in the chair making the phone call and making those decisions, so it doesn't matter what the hell I say."
"I think the league could have done a little bit more, seeing as our best player, our captain. Again, not going to be with us for the rest of the year. That's a big loss for us. To see a player go down like that and be in as much pain as he was getting off the ice and a guy like that who is a repeat offender of occasions like that, you know, I don't think it was enough is all I'll say about that."
Radko Gudas intentionally extended his knee during the second period, striking Auston Matthews in the offensive zone and causing a season-ending injury to Matthews' left knee. The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Gudas for five games. Teammates Jake McCabe and Matthew Knies expressed frustration with the suspension length, noting Matthews' importance as team captain and leader. Gudas has a documented history of supplemental discipline, including a 10-game suspension in 2017 for slashing. Under NHL rules, players are not considered repeat offenders if three years have passed since their previous suspension, regardless of severity. Both players questioned whether the five-game penalty adequately reflected the severity of the injury and Gudas' pattern of infractions.
Read at TheLeafsNation
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