BUFFALO — The NHL Department of Player Safety issued a five-game suspension to Anaheim Ducks captain Radko Gudas one day after a knee-on-knee hit on Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews. The decision came on the same day that the NHL DOPS announced that Gudas would have a phone hearing to review the hit. Because the Ducks defenseman was not offered an in-person hearing, the maximum the suspension could be was five games, which he indeed received.
But that did not sit well with Matthews’ agent, Judd Muldaver, who issued a statement on the suspension to multiple reporters, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Advertisement
“In light of the obvious severity of the play, I am disappointed and shocked the league would allow such a ruling. A phone hearing and five games is laughable and preposterous,” Muldaver continued. “While the process is set in our CBA, that this was the discipline is reckless and ridiculous. This decision results in a further loss of confidence in the disciplinary process for all players. Players and fans deserve better. The Player Safety Department should be suspended”.
Hours earlier, the Leafs announced that Matthews suffered a Grade 3 MCL tear and a quad contusion. Although the star forward will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the Leafs announced that Matthews’ 2025-26 regular season is over.
There is no doubt that the NHL DOPS has come under a lot of scrutiny from Leafs fans in particular for how they hand out discipline, but for an agent of a player to be so vocal about a particular suspension is a rare occurrence, particularly for Muldaver. Late in the second period of Toronto’s 6-4 win against Anaheim on Thursday, Gudas extended his knee and hit Matthews square in the knee, forcing the Leafs star to leave the game.
Advertisement
Immediately, the focus switched to Toronto’s lack of immediate response to the hit, with no players coming to the defense of Matthews by going after Gudas. In the third period, Leafs players responded physically, but head coach Craig Berube did point out that there should have been “four guys” after Gudas immediately after the hit.
The Maple Leafs are set to hold a full morning skate at KeyBank Center on Saturday ahead of their game against the Buffalo Sabres, where the Leafs will unveil what their lines without their captain look like.
Read the full article here
