Auston Matthews' suspension highlights NHL's consistency problem

In an objective NHL world, Auston Matthews deserves the two-game suspension for his cross-check Rasmus Dahlin during the Heritage Classic but the inconsistency of rulings from the NHL's Department of Player Safety has left fans outraged and players confused.

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

- (SINGING) Cassette tape.

- So end of the third period, tensions are-- tensions are rising. Tensions are flaring. And Matthews cross-checks Rasmus Dahlin in the neck.

Now, he's been suspended two games for it. But right when I saw it, again, in the stands, looking at it on the ice, looking at it on the big screen afterwards, looking at it at home, I said, yep, that's probably a game or two just because, whether it was on purpose or whether it was by accident, Auston Matthews cross-checked Rasmus Dahlin in the neck. Full stop, regardless of what his intentions were. Right?

So-- and yeah, even though he has a clean record, Lady Byng nominee last year. Regardless of all that, it was cross-check in the neck. He hits him in the neck. It's suspension, right there.

Now, the issue is-- and, again, I don't disagree with the suspension. I agree with it. The issue is-- and I think the issue that a lot of us have-- is that it just connects to and speaks to a giant issue that the NHL has. It has nothing to do with the players. There's inconsistencies when it comes to suspensions and fines. And there's inconsistencies when it comes to officiating.

Auston Matthews is not the only player that has cross-checked a player in the neck, up high, however you want to talk about it. However, he is one of the few who have been suspended for it. We've seen many instances of dangerous plays that have been, you know, done by players, where they just get a slap on the wrist in the form of a fine.

I don't want to play the whole, like, this was worse, and this wasn't worse, because, again, when you look at all of these instances, they're all suspendable. Yes, Panarin throwing his glove at March-- on Marchand. That's not a suspension.

But Jonathan Drouin cross-checking Tyler Seguin in the neck or head region on his way down to the ice? I think that's a suspension. Andrew Mangiapane cross-checked Mark Scheifele in the neck area back in March. I think that should be a suspension. He didn't even get a penalty for it. Not too long ago, Max Pacioretty punched Kris Letang in the back of the head. Nothing.

I want to say a couple of nights ago, Jonathan Huberdeau caught a player up high, a Kings player high. And I don't even know if that's even been looked at. So-- and again, I know when it comes to suspensions, fanbases, we always do the whole, like, what about this? And what about this? What about this? Well, what about this? That's a problem.

The fact that-- and again, this is regardless of fan commitment-- the fact that we can take a whole bunch of clips and say this was looked at, this was-- this wasn't looked at. This was a suspension, this was a fine, and this was dubbed clean? That's a problem. And it kind of goes to the whole idea of is this actually NHL player safety? Or is this NHL player management? Is it ref officiating, or is it game management?

Because I'm watching these games, I'm watching the teams that are taking place, and if I'm a player, nothing that's happened deters me from doing any of this because, again, there are more instances of players doing things and getting away with it than players doing something and getting nabbed for it. So what is stopping me, as a player, from doing whatever I want, from tripping someone, from kneeing someone?

Marcus Foligno just got another-- a fine for kneeing when he was suspended for kneeing a player four months ago. Does that not make him a repeat offender? I mean, like-- so that's the main issue. Players don't know what they can and can't do.