Avalanche center Nazem Kadri is facing a possible lengthy suspension for his check to the head of St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in Game 2 of their Stanley Cup Playoff series. Per NHL bylaws, Kadri was offered an in-person hearing on the matter via Zoom by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Thursday morning. A player is offered an in-person hearing if the incident might require a suspension of more than five games.
Kadri was issued a five-minute major and match penalty Wednesday night after hitting Faulk’s head with his shoulder in the third period. Kadri, who is in his second season with the Avalanche after playing his first nine with Toronto, has been suspended by the NHL five times — the two previous in the playoffs against the Boston Bruins. He was suspended for three games in the 2018 postseason and for the rest of a first-round series in 2019. This will be his first suspension with Colorado.
Kadri has just one goal in his last 29 games; he is the only member of the Avalanche to play in all 56 games but he produced just 11 goals and 32 points, tied for sixth in team scoring. Kadri is the Avs’ sixth highest-paid forward, with a $4.5 million cap hit through 2021-22.
Editorial credit: Jai Agnish / Shutterstock.com
