How long a suspension for Brendan Lemieux?

How long a suspension?

The longest suspension handed out this season for a play in a game was for seven games to Zack Kassian of the Edmonton Oilers.  The infraction was kicking Tampa defensman Erik Cernak in the chest.  There were several suspensions handed out for plays similar to Lemieux’s.

The second longest suspension was for five games to Corey Perry of the Dallas Stars, who elbowed Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis in the head.  While Perry had been suspended twice before, enough time had passed since his last infraction that he was not considered a repeat offender.

Nick Foligno of the Blue Jackets was suspended for three games for a hit on Colorado center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare earlier this season.  It was Foligno’s first suspension of his career.

The last suspension before Lemieux’s was a three game sentence handed out to San Jose’s Evander Kane for elbowing former Blueshirt Neal Pionk in the head.  Kane is a multiple offender, suspended three times before in his 11 year NHL career.  He was also fined $5,000 for elbowing in December.

Although he was suspended for abuse of an official during a preseason game in September, his two suspensions for illegal hits came in 2018 and 2014.

The NHL rule is that a hearing by telephone is required if the suspension is up to five games.  For suspensions of six games or longer, an in-person hearing must be offered.  However, if a player waives the right to an in-person hearing, he could still be suspended longer via a phone hearing.

Lemieux’s hearing was conducted over the phone, leading one to believe that the maximum term could be five games or less.  However, an in-person hearing was impossible due to the coronavirus so it is unclear if those parameters are in effect.

Considering Lemieux’s prior record of a suspension and fine for the same infraction within two seasons, he will be lucky to get off with a five game suspension.  However, considering Evander Kane’s three game suspension for a similar hit earlier this season, Lemieux could potentially get the same penalty.

There’s no word when the league will actually announce the parameters, but it should happen around the time that Phase Three of the Return to Play Plan kicks in mid-July.

At any rate, it appears the Blueshirts could be without their most physical player for the qualifying round and even the first few games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs if they are able to make it past the Hurricanes.

It’s all the more reason to wonder what was going through Brendan Lemieux’s mind when he hit Donskoi.  The shot had been taken and the save made, so in essence the play was over.  The ensuing penalty put the Rangers down a man in a game that they needed to win, a bad play that has been made irrelevant by the Rangers’ inclusion in the 24-team postseason pool.

It will get attention again when the NHL decided how long the Rangers will be without Lemieux.