A.J. Greer's hit on Connor Zary could become NHL Player Safety's next test

The timing makes it hit even harder.

This came with NHL general managers in meetings and player safety already back under the microscope.

That spotlight was already there because of the Radko Gudas fallout.

George Parros defended that five-game suspension this week, and the process itself became part of the story.

So when Greer drives Zary from behind into the boards, it doesn't land in a vacuum.

It lands in a league climate where every ugly hit is getting judged against what just happened to Auston Matthews.

From the clip, this looks reckless and dangerous.

Zary is in a vulnerable position, the contact comes from behind, and it has the kind of visual that usually forces the Department of Player Safety to step in.

That's why Greer should get more than a fine.

This feels like a phone hearing at minimum, because the league has shown again this month that it will escalate dangerous plays beyond a simple review.

And if the league wants to show that all the GM-meeting talk means anything, it has to treat this one seriously.

The first question is not whether the hit «looks bad.» It does.

The real question is whether the league wants to send a message after spending the week defending its standards.

A phone hearing would allow for a suspension of up to five games under the CBA.

An in-person hearing would open the door to six games or more.

My read is that Greer deserves a suspension, and the range starts at 4 games. If the league decides the push and the vulnerable position carry extra weight, it could climb to 5.

I don't see this as a one-game slap on the wrist.

Not with the way the play unfolds, and not with the league already taking heat over how it handled the Gudas-Matthews case.

That's why this one matters beyond Calgary and Florida.

If Player Safety is serious about consistency, Greer can't skate away with nothing more than a quiet call.