NHL Slaps Ryan Hartman with Lengthy Suspension

Ryan Hartman, Minnesota Wild
Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

If the Minnesota Wild aren’t losing players, then it’s probably not a typical day in the 2024-25 NHL regular season. John Hynes has watched many players on his roster get injured, but this time Ryan Hartman inflicted a wound on himself that jostles the lines.

Ryan Hartman is a grizzled veteran who has played hockey in the NHL for more than a decade. He also has a lengthy history of penalties that the league feels the need to address. This time Gary Bettman has decided he is not playing around.

Ryan Hartman sets MN Wild suspension record

If you’re going to set a record, the one you’re likely looking for isn’t the longest time off ice. Minnesota winger Ryan Hartman now holds that for the franchise. The NHL gave him a ten-game suspension for his match penalty against Ottawa.

It’s Hartman’s fifth career suspension, and it is the longest in length in Wild history. The suspension makes him eligible to return for the Wild on March 9th. It’s understandable that Gary Bettman would come down hard given Hartman’s history. Still, even if you don’t look through a Wild shaded lens, the suspension seems egregious.

Related: Kirill Kaprizov Injury Probably Helps MN Wild in Contract Talk

Earlier this season, Nashville Predators punk rookie Zach L’Heureux slew-footed Minnesota captain Jared Spurgeon. He made a dirty hit that sent Spurgeon knee-first into the boards, and the team immediately placed him on injured reserve.

The NHL did not consider L’Heureux’s AHL and Quebec Major Junior hockey history of being a dirty player relevant, and Bettman suspended the Predators skater for just three games. The Wild took matters into their own hands when they next played Nashville – winning the fights, but not the game.

Already without superstar Kirill Kaprizov for some time, the depleted Minnesota Wild will feel the impact of Hartman’s absence. The veteran has come on lately, scoring seven goals in 48 games. He has 10 assists, 17 points, while delivering 53 hits and blocking 30 shots.

Related: Minnesota Wild Trade Former Gopher to Utah

Hartman has 48 hours to file an appeal, which he might as well do. Suspending someone for almost an eighth of the season is pretty unprecedented. Minnesota would appreciate any reduction in sentence given their injury situation.

The Wild remain a mystery this season. They stink at home and are the best road team in the league. It all adds up to a goal differential of +3, which doesn’t typically get you into the playoffs. General manager Bill Guerin certainly won’t be buying much on the trade market until after Kaprizov returns…if the Wild are still playoff-bound by then.

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