Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri is appealing the eight-game suspension that was handed down by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety following an illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk.
The incident occurred in Game 2 of the playoff series between the clubs on Wednesday.
The NHL Players’ Association filed the appeal for Kadri on Sunday night. The appeal goes to league commissioner Gary Bettman first, but Kadri then could ask to have a neutral arbitrator hear the case.
Kadri didn’t play in Games 3 and 4 of the series, both won by the Avalanche. Colorado advanced to the next round of the playoffs and will play the winner of the series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild, with Kadri’s availability for any potential games of that series dependent on his appeal.
The NHL announced its suspension on Friday, hours after an in-person hearing with Kadri was held via Zoom. A player is offered an in-person hearing if the infraction might require a suspension of six games or more.
Kadri, 30, drew his third suspension in four years. The then-Toronto Maple Leafs forward was banned three games after a high hit on Boston forward Tommy Wingels in 2018, and a year later was suspended for five games following a cross-check to the head of Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk.
Several members of the Blues were adamant that Kadri should be suspended for an illegal hit that knocked Faulk out of Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to Colorado in Game 2 of their playoff series. Kadri hit Faulk in the head early in the third period, resulting in a major and a match penalty for Kadri.
–Field Level Media