SUSPENSION COMING? Evander Kane To Have Hearing With NHL

EDMONTON, ALBERTA – The NHL will hold a hearing with controversial Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane, presumably today, for his cross-check from behind that injured Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri.

I’m going to guess one-game suspension, but won’t be shocked if it’s more. Kane is a repeat offender and Kadri was injured and out for the rest of this series and maybe longer. Injuries DO play a factor in suspensions, I don’t care what anybody says. This is not an in-person hearing, which would mean he’d be facing a minimum of six games.

Evander Kane explained the situation thusly last night: “I was just coming in on the backcheck. Puck went wide, dribbled into the corner. I know he likes to reverse hit and I was just trying to get a bump on him, and that’s really all I did. Unfortunately, he went into the boards awkwardly and hurt his hands, but that was unfortunate.”

As I said last night, I don’t think the incident was as bad as many have made it out – with the proviso that 1. I thought it was a penalty and 2. Worthy of something supplemental discipline-wise.

Jared Bednar said this on the hit: “The hit is the most dangerous hit in hockey, from behind, eight feet off the boards. I’ll leave it at that.”

Practice is at 1:30 today at Rogers Place, and it’s optional. I doubt we’ll see too many players out there. Personally, I think Kurtis MacDermid should get a chance to play in Game 4, and no not just because he might go out there and whoop some ass, which nobody in Denver would mind seeing right now. Kane probably won’t be playing in the game, remember.

I just think he would be a nice addition for what figures to be another rough game, regardless. He scares people out there, and I think that has value. Or, maybe I’m just an old dinosaur.

I didn’t see this, but a couple others in the building last night tweeted that Kadri’s right arm had a cast on it. If it’s something like a broken bone to the hand/wrist, that’s going to keep him out a while for sure. That’s not his shooting hand, so maybe there’s a Jim Carrey chance something can be rigged up by the Finals to let him play. Guess we just have to hope for the best on that, but I would say don’t let those hopes get too high.