New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba suspended for two games for elbowing Pavel Dorofeyev

Jacob Trouba is one of the most disliked players among non New York Rangers fans in the NHL. His hard style of play and big hits tend to leave fans wanting him suspended or fined for his actions. Today is one of those days where punishment is deemed to fit his supposed crime as he was suspended for two games for elbowing Vegas Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev and causing an injury.

Dorofeyev did not return to the game, and George Parros, who is in charge of the Department of Player Safety, determined that this was an intentional action with intent to cause an injury on the play, not an inadvertent collision that tends to occur when skating or playing the puck. With that in mind, Trouba was suspended for the next two games, and will be unavailable for tonights game in Ottawa.

Is this the right decision? Honestly, probably. This is a dirty play from Trouba, as he lifts the elbow up to make head contact, and if it happened against a member of the New York Rangers, we would all be calling for a suspension. Justifiably so, Trouba will sit out for a couple of days and the unfortunate timing with the injury to Lindgren means that the Rangers will be scrambling on the blueline ahead of tonight.

Trouba has been lucky in the past to avoid repercussions for his way of playing. Already being fined this season for a slash to the head of Trent Frederic, this is his second call from the Department of player safety. A phone hearing meant that it was never going to be more than five games, but the suspension came down in the end, and it means the captain will be sitting on the sidelines, or in the press box, until after the All-Star break.