BREAKING NEWS: DETROIT RED WINGS TOP PLAYER HAS BEEN SUSPENDED FOR 8 MONTHS DUE TO…
Around the Atlantic: Red Wings’ Perron appealing suspension, Senators’ trade chips & Sabres’ Levi returning to form
The Atlantic Division continues to be one of the strongest in the national league, led by the Boston Bruins atop with 39 points. After running the New York Rangers out of MSG on Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs have creeped up to just four points back of the Bruins for the division lead. While the Leafs are heating up, the Detroit Red Wings continue to score at will, meanwhile are dealing with some injuries to their top players and a suspended David Perron. In Ottawa, the Senators continue through their wild December schedule, however remain at the bottom of the division and could be shifting their focus to selling in a few weeks. And, in Buffalo, it appears the Sabres made the right decision sending Devon Levi down for a reset as he’s starting to turn things around with the big club.
Perron recently got his wires crossed and cross-checked Senators defenseman Artem Zub in the head. The reaction came after seeing teammate and close friend Dylan Larkin laying on the ice after a mix up and essentially Perron decided he was going to return the favor to the closest opponent. Zub wasn’t even the reason Larkin was down as he’d been in a dust up with Senators forward and rival, Mathieu Joseph.
The play got him suspended for six games and the NHLPA has officially filed an appeal to reduce the suspension.
Perron has never been suspended before in his 1,081-game NHL career and has only been fined, which came back in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Perron’s agent Allan Walsh has been very vocal on social media trying to understand how Perron’s first offense could have landed him such a suspension and Walsh continues to post videos on his ‘X’ account, comparing other suspensions handed out by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. For instance, Auston Matthews got two games for this cross-check to Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin: