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NHL News: DoPS responds to McDavid’s call for examination of suspension process

Photo credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

By Cam Lewis

Mar 17, 2026, 16:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 17, 2026, 16:31 EDT

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety appears comfortable with how it handles suspensions for illegal and dangerous plays.

In response to the league suspending Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas for just five games after a knee-on-knee hit that ended Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews’ season, Connor McDavid suggested it may be time to revisit the process.

Edmonton’s captain told TSN that if the reaction from players and pundits is consistently negative, the system itself ought to be re-evaluated.

“If every time there’s a suspension everybody complains about it, why don’t we take a look at the process, and figure out if there’s a better way to make sure that both parties are happy? Because it seems like there’s a lot of frustration.”

George Parros, who has led the Department of Player Safety since September of 2017, defended both the process and the people behind it, telling Sportsnet’s Eric Engels that he remains confident in how decisions are made.

“We sweat over these decisions and pour over these decisions every night, all season long. We have a process in place that’s consistent, and we have a team that works for me, and together with me, that evaluates all these plays. A very experienced team, a veteran team. Guys that have been there since the beginning of the department. Not to mention all the former players that have a large set of experiences playing NHL games, accolades. Some of the best guys that have played the game work for this department help make decisions. So, our process, I feel very confident in. We’ve got great guys who make these decisions, and I think the players should be confident in this team to do so.”

The NHL’s DoPS has long faced criticism for being too lenient on dangerous plays, particularly those involving injuries to star players.

That scrutiny has only intensified under Parros, a former enforcer, and resurfaced again with Gudas receiving a relatively light suspension despite being a repeat offender. The rugged defender has also been in the spotlight lately for a play that injured Canada captain Sidney Crosby at the Olympics.