Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman was suspended two games on Monday after hitting Detroit Red Wings leading scorer Alex DeBrincat in Detroit’s 4-1 loss on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Hartmann was deemed a repeat offender after serving a one-game suspension in April for a tackle on Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers. This means that he was suspended based on games in the season, not days. Based on his salary, Hartman would lose $20,731.70 per game or $41,463.41 overall.
- This is Hartman’s third comment in his 10-year career. The NHL says he has been fined six previous times.
- Hartman will miss games this week against St. Louis and Nashville.
How much of a dilemma does this put in the wild?
A huge loss for a team that has lost seven consecutive matches. The Wild have just enough cap space to afford another $822,000 hockey player from the minors. So, unless the Wild play with 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Tuesday against the Blues, the Wild will have to call on a forward and take up most of their available space while shutting down Hartmann.
Additionally, while Hartman is out, the Wild will suffer a short-term injury and will be forced to play with one player for one game (they did in a win over Montreal last month) before entering an emergency call-up that would allow them to play. Remember players who make $875,000 or less (league minimum salary plus $100,000). Hartman, who plays on the edge and sometimes crosses the line, will have to stay clean for another 18 months until his repeat offender status ends.
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