John Tavares fined $5,000 for slashing Vincent Desharnais

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has issued Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares a $5,000 fine for slashing Edmonton Oilers defenceman Vincent Desharnais.

The play came early in the third period of the game between the Leafs and Oilers in Toronto on Saturday night. Desharnais and Tavares were engaged in a battle in Edmonton’s zone and Tavares retaliated to some roughing from Desharnais with a hard slash to his wrist…

Tavares was issued a two-minute slashing penalty while Desharnais received a minor for cross-checking. It was one of three instances in the game in which the referees called two minor penalties at the same time. Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid got dinged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the first period and both Evander Kane and Michael Bunting went off for roughing later in the third period.

This is the first time that Tavares has been handed discipline from the DoPS in over a decade. The last time came in November of 2011 when he was fined $2,500 for slashing Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils.

Desharnais suffered a wrist and hand injury back in September at the start of the Oilers’ training camp. He wound up having surgery later in the month to repair the damage and he didn’t make his 2022-23 regular season debut with the Bakersfield Condors until November.