Photo: NBC Washington
After a strong postseason, forward Tom Wilson was expected to begin the season on the first line with forward Alex Ovechkin and center Evgeny Kuznetsov but he might have to wait before he skates in that spot.
Wilson, 24, was given a match penalty for a high hit to the head of St. Louis Blues’ forward Oskar Sundqvist in the Washington Capitals’ 5-2 victory over the Blues. Sundqvist left the game and did not return, which leads to the question whether or not Wilson will get suspended.
Blues’ head coach Mike Yeo told reporters after the game that Sundqvist “was not good” and “I would be surprised if he didn’t miss a decent amount of time here.”
Yeo:
“He’s definitely hurt. Obviously, he hasn’t seen a doctor yet, but I would be surprised if he didn’t miss a decent amount of time here.”Concussion?
“He has a couple upper body injuries. He’s in a bad spot right now. I feel bad for him.” https://t.co/f78vlF9tpB— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) September 30, 2018
Wilson has suspended been three times in the past year, including twice against the Blues in the preseason last year. Both hits were up high and caused injury to the victim of the hit. Wilson also got a suspension of three games for a hit to the head on Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Zach-Aston Reese in Game 3 of the second round series between the two teams last Spring.
In addition, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety reviewed three other hits from Wilson in the playoffs but did not suspend him.
Wilson tallied 14 goals, 35 points, and a +10 rating in 78 regular season games and five goals, 15 points, and a +11 rating in 21 playoff games last season. He mostly played on the top line with Ovechkin and Kuznetsov and was highly effective there. In addition to producing offense, he opened up space for Kuznetsov and Ovechkin and set the tone with his physicality. He is also one of the Capitals’ best penalty killers and the team’s “fix-it” man.
The Capitals cannot afford Wilson to miss a handful of games this year due to suspension. Both Wilson and the team have previously stated that they want him to stay physical without getting in trouble with the Department of Player Safety.
The Capitals signed Wilson to a six-year contract worth $31 million ($5.17 million AAV) over the offseason, which puts more pressure on Wilson to stay out of trouble. As long as he stays out of trouble and produces, both the team and the player will be very happy with his new contract.
By Harrison Brown
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I AGREE SOME HITTING NEEDS TO BE ELIMINATED FROM THE GAME. BUT THIS WAS NOT A HEAD SHOT, THE PUCK WAS ON THE STICK AND THEY WERE COMPETING FOR IT. THAT’S THE NAME OF THE GAME. WILSON PLAYS A PHYSICAL GAME BECAUSE OF HIS SIZE AND SPEED AND IT WOULD BE UNFAIR TO TAKE AWAY HIS BEST ASSETS WHEN HE IS NOT TRYING TO INJURE THE OPPOSING PLAYER. BODY CHECKS HAVE TO BE ALLOWED. AGAIN IF THE HEAD WAS NOT THE PRIMARY FOCUS THEN UNLESS THE PLAYER WAS DEFENSELESS AND NOTE THAT THIS HIT DID NOT COME FROM BEHIND HIM. IT WAS A CLEAN HIT. WILSON STRUCK HIM FROM THE SIDE AND THE PUCK WAS DISLODGED AS A RESULT OF THE PLAY. GOOD PLAY, NOT VICIOUS AS SOME WANT TO MAKE IT OUT TO BE. LOOK DO WE REALLY WANT TO TURN ICE HOCKEY INTO A POWDER PUFF LEAGUE? FINE. INVITE WOMEN TO PLAY AND INCLUDE EXTRA POINTS FOR FIGURE SKATING.
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Thats a complete and total legal hit