Photo: WCVB
According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson will not appeal the seven-game suspension handed to him by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Saturday for his hit on defenseman Brandon Carlo in the team’s 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Friday.
It was reported that the 26-year-old waived his offer to an in-person hearing on Sunday.
While Carlo was battling for the puck with Capitals forward Jakub Vrana, Wilson delivered a high hit on him. He was not assessed a penalty on the play.
Tom Wilson will not appeal his suspension
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 7, 2021
Capitals captain and Wilson’s linemate, Alex Ovechkin, called the suspension “kind of a joke” and pointed to the fact that Wilson was not penalized for the hit after the Capitals’ morning skate at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday.
Under the CBA, and based on his average annual salary, Wilson will forfeit $311,781.61. The money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Wilson will be eligible to return on Saturday, March 20 against the New York Rangers.
Wilson, who is not considered a repeat offender as his last suspension was 29 months ago, has recorded seven goals, 17 points, and a +1 rating in 21 games this season. He was suspended four times in a 13-month frame from September 2017 to October 2018. Only one of them was for boarding.
The Capitals will visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night (7 PM ET, NBC Sports Washington) in Wilson’s first game serving his suspension.
Hearing that Tom Wilson won’t be appealing his 7-game suspension.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 7, 2021
By Harrison Brown
Refs on ice did not issue a penalty. Tome did not leave his feet. He did not target the head. He has met the terms of his parole so is no longer a repeat offender. The DOPES had to resort to the
“totality” because they could not find a single penalty to punish him with. This is rewriting the rulesbook.
Hawks’ Connor Murphy was ejected for a hit to Bolts’ Cernak. Cernak left the game and did not come back. Murphy left his feet and hit Cernak’s head. Murphy was ejected. So what are the DOPES going to give him?
They probably reminded Tom that on review Bettman could (would) increase it and that he’d serve all of it (the original and whatever Bettman added) before he ever got an arbitration hearing.