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NHL insider explains why Carolina Hurricanes Jalen Chatfield won't face suspension
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
The Washington Capitals are dealing with the aftermath of tough 5-1 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes, and defenceman Jalen Chatfield is making headlines for a vicious WWE-style takedown on forward Connor McMichael. Despite widespread calls for a suspension, none will be handed out, leaving fans scratching their heads.
After the Washington Capitals got down 5-1 in the 3rd period, things quickly got out of hand.
With just minutes left in the game, a flurry of scuffles broke out, prompting frustrations on both sides to boil over
Washington Capitals forward Connor McMichael was involved in a physical altercation with Jalen Chatfield, resulting in a takedown that could have easily led to a serious injury.
According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, no suspension will be handed out, and he's offered an explanation why.
Frank Seravalli explains the non-suspension on Chatfield
On recent segment of Daily Faceoff Live, NHL insider Frank Seravalli broke down the situation.
Seravalli: No supplemental discipline because technically, nothing illegal happened here. There's no rule in the rule book that says you can't wrestle a guy to the ice.
Now, I look at these still photos here, and we see these posted from the Spittin' Chiclets account. I don't love the look of them because it clearly looks like Jalen Chatfield is trying to essentially dwarf toss Connor McMichael, and it is a UFC-style WWE throwdown, and I think it's incredibly dangerous.
Personally, I would find a way to apply a one-game suspension to send a message to the rest of the NHL that if you scrap, you can't do this. You can't take down a player in this manner.
However, there's nothing in the rule book, and I think maybe, in the end, I should defer to George Parros, who's been in dozens of NHL scraps-and I've been in exactly zero-to understand some of the other nuances that come with it, with regards to leverage, spinning around, trying to get position on someone, all those different things that I really can't articulate.
According to Seravalli, that kind of take-down doesn't technically break any rules, which is rather shocking.
It should be interesting to see how NHL Player and Safety responds to the situation during the offseason.
Perhaps they review the rule and implement a change moving forward.
More details to follow.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 4 | 89 ANSWERS NHL insider explains why Carolina Hurricanes Jalen Chatfield won't face suspension Do you think Jalen Chatfield should be suspended for his takedown on Connor McMichael? | ||
| Yes | 76 | 85.4 % |
| No | 13 | 14.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
