Brandon Hagel caught Porter Martone up high with an elbow tonight, and the Lightning forward got away with a two-minute minor.
The Flyers' 19-year-old took the contact up high, and the officials called it elbowing. That's where the on-ice process ended.
Player Safety's process doesn't have to end there. The league can review any play with high contact, regardless of what was called on the ice.
The questions are familiar. Was the head the main point of contact? Was it avoidable? Did the elbow come up into the hit?
Repeat-offender status matters too. Player Safety factors a player's disciplinary history into the choice between a fine and a suspension.
In the clip, Hagel's elbow comes up and catches Martone high as the two meet, and the rookie feels every bit of it.
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Hagel's history will shape what Player Safety decides
That's where Hagel's file comes in. Any past discipline on his record would push this closer to a suspension than a fine.
Hagel, 28, carries a $6,500,000 cap hit and has two assists through two games. He's a key piece of Jon Cooper's lineup.
Martone, 19, carries a $977,917 cap hit and is still chasing his first NHL point. Rick Tocchet's Flyers came in at 0-1-2.
This deserves a hearing. An elbow up high on a teenager is exactly the kind of play the league needs to take seriously, and a two-minute minor doesn't do that.
A minor for this is like putting out the "wet floor" sign after somebody has already fallen.
The Lightning host Minnesota on Thursday. The Flyers visit Ottawa the same night.
Should Player Safety call, Hagel's history will be on the table. Silence from the league, though, and the Flyers will remember this one long after the box score fades.
Should Brandon Hagel be suspended for the elbow on Porter Martone?
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