Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman is reportedly planning to appeal his 10-game suspension.  What happens next?

Hartman was suspended by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for roughing Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle.  The Wild forward used his forearm to push Stutzle’s face into the ice on a faceoff, bloodying the Sens center. 

Hartman’s 10-game ban is the longest for an on-ice incident in six years.

 

 

 

So, what now?

 

Appeal to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

Hartman’s first stop is the commish.  The Wild forward gets to plead his case, with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman determining whether to uphold or modify the suspension handed out by Player Safety.  

From the NHL/NHLPA CBA, Section 18.12:

The NHLPA, on the Player’s behalf, may file an appeal to the Commissioner of any decision regarding Supplementary Discipline for On-Ice Conduct imposed by the League. …  The Commissioner shall have the authority to consider any evidence relating to the incident even if such evidence was not available at the time of the initial Supplementary Discipline for On-Ice Conduct decision. Except in cases involving a suspension of six (6) or more NHL Games which shall be subject to an appeal pursuant to Section 18.13 below, the decision of the Commissioner in an appeal shall be final and binding in all respects and not subject to review. For purposes of Section 18.13 below, the Commissioner’s decision shall represent the complete and final decision of the League regarding whether the Player’s conduct violated League Playing Rules, as well as the length of the suspension imposed on the Player.

Bettman doesn’t cut back on discipline often, but he has done it before. Back in 2021, he reduced a suspension to Jason Spezza of the Toronto Maple Leafs from six games down to four.  Bettman cited Spezza’s ‘admirable record of clean play’ in his ruling, which you can read here; obviously, the same clean record doesn’t apply to Hartman. 

Hartman has been suspended five times in his National Hockey League career, including four suspensions in the past two calendar years. His most recent incident came in 2024, when he missed three games for throwing a stick at an official.

As noted above, if Bettman drops the suspension to five games, that’s the end of the appeal.  If, however, it remains at six games or more, the player can bring it to arbitration.

 

Appeal to a Neutral Arbitrator

The NHL/NHLPA CBA allows suspensions greater than six games to go to an impartial arbitrator for a final ruling.  This arbitrator is jointly appointed by the NHL and the Players’ Association. From 18.13 (c):

The [Neutral Discipline Arbitrator] shall hold an in-person hearing and shall determine whether the final decision of the League regarding whether the Player’s conduct violated the League Playing Rules and whether the length of the suspension imposed were supported by substantial evidence. The NDA shall issue an opinion and award as soon as practicable. The NDA shall have the authority to consider any evidence relating to the incident even if such evidence was not available at the time of the initial Supplementary Discipline for On-Ice Conduct decision or at the time of the Commissioner’s decision in connection with the appeal. The NDA shall have full remedial authority in respect of the matter should he/she determine that the Commissioner’s decision was not supported by substantial evidence. The NDA’s decision shall be final and binding in all respects and not subject to review.

Both sides make their case, and the appointed arbitrator decides.

There’s no word on who is currently in that role for the league. Prior appeals – including those for Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson and then-Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri – have been heard by arbitrator Shyam Das, a Harvard and Yale educated attorney who’s also done work for the NFL, Major League Baseball, U.S. Steel, and government entities. 

Das opted to reduce Wilson’s suspension, cutting it from 20 games to 14.

He later decided to uphold Kadri’s suspension, maintaining the eight-game ban affirmed by commissioner Bettman, citing in part his prior ruling on Wilson.

It’ll be up to him – or whoever’s taken his spot – to determine Hartman’s fate. 

 

Good Timing?

One interesting factor in this situation, as we discussed on the Scouting the Refs Podcast, is that Hartman’s appeal comes during a lengthy break in the NHL season.  Per the CBA, a player’s suspension remains in effect during his appeal, up to the length of the original suspension. That typically means that players may have already served their time when their appeal is heard; the only benefit to them is having it reduced on their record and getting back some of the forfeited salary that was lost as a result of the ban. 

That’s usually not a small amount. Hartman’s 10-game suspension has him forfeiting $487,804.90 in salary, which works out to $48,780 per game.  You can bet he’d like to have some of that money back in his pocket.

With the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off set to shut down the league for two weeks, Hartman’s suspension would carry into March.  It’s almost certain that we’ll have a ruling before then.  It’s just a matter of figuring out how may games his final suspension length will be.