The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Thursday that Vegas Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson will be suspended for three games without pay for throwing an elbow to the head of Los Angeles Kings defenseman Tobias Bjornfot. The incident happened during Wednesday's game between Vegas and LA.
Chandler threw the elbow late in the second period with the Golden Knights down 4-1 to the Kings. The call was a rather easy one to make as the forward came in high and late towards the head of his opponent and Bjornfot remained on the ice for a bit. He was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for elbowing.
🚨🚨🚨Breaking News: #VegasBorn Chandler Stephenson has been suspended for 3 games for Elbowing #GoKingsGo Tobias Bjornfot.pic.twitter.com/ZcM0bJEuNq
— Hockey Hound (@HockeyHoundShow) April 1, 2021
As the league's release on this suspension notes, Stephenson will forfeit $71,120.70, a number based on his average annual salary as the Collective Bargaining Agreement outlines.
"He's a big piece for us. He's got great speed and a lot of skill," center Tomas Nosek said, per the Las Vegas Sun. "He's playing penalty kill and power play, so if he cannot play, it will be a big miss for sure."
Some fans have pointed out the difference between the response to this elbow and the one that Connor McDavid threw against Jesperi Kotkaniemi on Tuesday. However, McDavid -- a former Hart Trophy winner, who comfortably leads this season's Art Ross Trophy race -- did not receive a suspension and was only fined $5,000, the maximum for such incident per the CBA.
