Wild's Ryan Hartman set to appeal his 10-game suspension

Wild forward Ryan Hartman had until Wednesday to decide if he’d file an appeal of the 10-game suspension handed down by the league on Monday. He has elected to do so as the NHLPA announced that they have filed an appeal on Hartman’s behalf.

The incident occurred on Saturday versus Ottawa. Off a faceoff, Hartman drove Tim Stutzle face-first into the ice. He received a match penalty on the play and after being offered an in-person hearing, was given the 10-game ban, the fifth suspension of his career. As a result, he forfeits more than $487K in salary as he qualifies under the repeat offender (meaning he’s fined 10 games’ play, not 10 days’ pay).

Hartman will remain under suspension during the appeal process. While it often takes longer than the duration of the appeal for it to be heard (meaning the appeal is primarily an attempt to recover some of the lost wages), that might not be the case for Hartman. 

With the NHL heading for a break next week due to the 4 Nations Face-Off, it’s quite possible the appeal will be heard during that time when he’ll have only missed three of the 10 games.

This appeal will be heard by Commissioner Gary Bettman whose role will be to determine whether the decision was supported by clear and convincing evidence. If Hartman’s suspension is upheld or is reduced but remains six games or longer, Hartman can further appeal to a neutral arbitrator who would then have the final say.