NHL Department of Player Safety Issues Verdict For Timo Meier's Suspension
The NHL has released their verdict regarding the punishment toward Timo Meier, as the Devils forward collided knee on knee with Martin Necas in a vicious hit.
During Saturday night's Metropolitan Division tilt between the first-place New Jersey Devils and the third-place Carolina Hurricanes, there was a bit of a scary incident concerning Timo Meier and Martin Necas.
Meier, the Devils forward, ended up skating into Necas and delivering a knee on knee hit that got him a game misconduct and led to his ejection. Luckily for Carolina, Necas wasn't injured and returned to the game.
The NHL has undoubtedly taken a look at the hit and has officially determined that no extra punishment is needed for Meier after his actions.
The NHL's Punishment Problem
It's part of a growing list of incidents the NHL has had to consistently review and their track record seems to think perhaps they have their heart in the right place, but how they go about enacting safety is another measure.
Fans often wonder what criteria the league uses given their track record. Sometimes one hit that receives punishment will be ignored the next time; such as in the case of Ryan Reaves and Zach Whitecloud.
Reaves got a five-game ban for a headshot on Darnell Nurse, but when Whitecloud left his feet and aimed directly at Matthew Knies' head; not only was there no discipline afterward, there was no penalty for the hit at all.
It seems that unless it is blatant and malicious, the league won't care. If Necas were hurt there's a possibility of more discipline but even when players are hurt, they tend to ignore things.
It also doesn't seem to matter if you're a repeat offender or not and while Meier isn't necessarily a malicious player, he is scrappy which can often lead to these types of hits.
He does have a bit of a mean streak though, and he was suspended earlier in the season which makes the league's choice a bit perplexing.
Meier this season has 27 points in 38 games for the Devils and signed an eight-year extension with the team in 2023. In 579 games he has 409 points split with San Jose and New Jersey.
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