BUFFALO — One day after the Toronto Maple Leafs learned they would be without their captain for the remainder of the season, players and staff reacted to the NHL’s Department of Player Safety’s decision to suspend Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas for five games following his knee-on-knee hit on Auston Matthews.
Not surprisingly, the consensus was that the suspension was insufficient.
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“I think the league could have done a little bit more, seeing as our best player, our captain, is not going to be with us for the rest of the year,” Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies said, following his team’s morning skate at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. “That’s a big loss for us. That decision is kind of out of my control, but I would have loved to see a little bit more.”
The Leafs announced late Friday that Matthews would miss the rest of the season with a Grade 3 tear of his MCL and a quad contusion. Shortly after the decision was handed down by the NHL Department of Player Safety, led by former NHL enforcer George Parros, Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver, released a statement to reporters ripping the league’s safety department for the discipline handed down to Gudas.
Auston Matthews’ Agent Rips NHL Player Safety Over Radko Gudas’ Five-Game Suspension For Kneeing Maple Leafs Star
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While the players did not use the same harsh language as the agent, there appeared to be a shared sense of resignation that the outcome would not change.
“I can sit here and say whatever, but it’s not going to change it,” Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe said of the suspension. “I’m not George (Parros) sitting in the chair making the phone call and making those decisions. So it doesn’t matter what the hell I say.”
The Maple Leafs snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 6-4 win against the Ducks on Thursday, though they were heavily criticized for their lack of an initial response to the Gudas hit. Eventually, they found more physicality in the third period and will look to carry that momentum into their game against the Atlantic Division-leading Sabres.
However, being without their captain certainly dampens the morale in the Toronto locker room, and many felt the league missed the mark.
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“I feel like he was a repeat offender in situations like that,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Gudas, noting that the defenseman has been suspended five times previously. “I don’t think it was enough is all I’ll say about that.”
