Maple Leafs' Morgan Rielly Facing Possible Suspension of 6 Games or More After Being Offered an In-Person Hearing by NHL Department of Player Safety

The time and date of Rielly's hearing with the league is still to be determined.

The NHL Department of Player Safety has a tough task of trying to determine, what, if any suspension is coming to the defenseman after his cross-check to the face of Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig

The NHL Department of Player Safety has kept the door wide open to hand Morgan Rielly a suspension of more than five games after offering the Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman an in-person hearing on Sunday.

Rielly was handed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct toward the end of the Maple Leafs' 5-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday when he cross-checked Sens forward Ridly Greig in the head shortly after the player took a slapshot into an empty net.

An in-person hearing gives the NHL's Department of Player Safety the option of suspending a player for six games ore more. It doesn't guarantee of course that it will happen, but it's rare when that doesn't end up being the case.

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Rielly has never been fined or suspended before. Following the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe referred to Rielly's retaliatory action on Greig as "appropriate."

Rielly has never been fined or suspended in his 11-year NHL career. That and a lack of severe injury to Greig may help get the player some leniency. But an in-person hearing is essentially a guarantee of a suspension in some form or fashion and the Maple Leafs will have to prepare to play their next slate of games without their top defenseman.

The Maple Leafs have the day off on Sunday and are expected to return to practice on Monday before hosting the St. Louis Blues at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday. It's expected that a decision on Reilly's suspension will be made before Tuesday's game.

The Perron comparison

Like Rielly, Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron had a clean record until his six-game suspension for a similar cross-checking incident on Senators defenseman Artem Zub. Perron appealed the suspension, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld the ruling.

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Rielly's former teammate, Jason Spezza, was handed a six-game suspension for keeping Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk. Despite a clean record, Spezza was given a six-game suspension that was later reduced to four games after an appeal.

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