Elliotte Friedman reveals why the NHL has a serious suspension problem
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Bruce Raymond
Mar 23, 2026 (9:56)
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Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Radko Gudas put Joel Quenneville's Ducks in the middle of it, but Elliotte Friedman says the real story is why the NHL keeps going light.
The backlash started when Gudas got 5 games for a knee-on-knee hit that ended Auston Matthews' season.
That ruling already had fans hammering the Department of Player Safety.
Then it got louder again.
Florida Panthers forward A.J. Greer was handed a 3-game suspension after a hit on Calgary Flames forward Connor Zary that many saw as an intentional attempt to injure.
That's where Friedman stepped in Monday, and his explanation shifted the conversation away from one ruling and toward the entire appeal system.
His point was simple: the league doesn't want to keep getting overturned on appeal. That fear, in his view, is shaping the discipline fans are watching right now.
"I'll just say this, the league has no desire to consistently get turned over on appeal," revealed Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast. "They've shown no inclination that they either want to deal with appeals or be overturned, they really don't like it."
The ugly part for the league is that the appeals process exists for a reason. But Friedman's read is that the NHL would rather avoid the fight than risk a bigger suspension being cut down later.
"They're lawyers, they don't like to get turned over on appeal," said Friedman.
The pressure now shifts back to the players
That puts the spotlight on the NHL Players' Association. The same union that protects players in discipline cases also represents the players who get hurt by dangerous hits.
Friedman said the only real path to change is if the players demand it themselves. That sounds clean on paper, but it gets messy fast once collective bargaining enters the picture.
"The only way this is gonna change is if the players demand it. Then they will have to negotiate it with the league... so there's a lot of challenges here to get change made. I have a sneaking suspicion that the players won't want to do that in exchange for the way in which supplemental discipline is done," said Friedman.
Because once players push for tougher supplemental discipline, the league gains a negotiating lane. It can ask for something back, including changes tied to the appeal setup.
That's why this keeps stalling. The outrage is real, but the politics around discipline are bigger than one hearing room and bigger than one ugly hit.
So the story isn't just Gudas or Greer. It's a league guarding its process, a union guarding its leverage, and injured players stuck in the middle.
Until one side gives, fans are going to keep watching dangerous plays draw headlines and wondering why the punishment never seems to match the damage.
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