Former Edmonton Oilers defenceman William Lagesson has been handed a three-game suspension by the American Hockey League’s Player Safety Committee for what’s being called the “consequence of a roughing incident in a game vs. Iowa on Nov. 24.”
The roughing incident saw Lagesson bring opposing forward Adam Raska to the ice in a UFC-style chokehold and continue the grip until a linesman skated in to break up the play. The referee stood behind Lagesson and Raska as the play happened and pointed for the linesman to come over while Raska was tapping Lagesson’s shoulder to be released from the hold.
The Oilers selected Lagesson in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Draft with the pick the team acquired from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. He played in 57 games with the club between 2019-20 and 2021-22 before getting moved to the Montreal Canadiens as part of the return for veteran defender Brett Kulak in March of 2022.
Since then, Lagesson has bounced between the NHL and AHL with a few different organizations. He spent the 2022-23 season with the Chicago Wolves, the 2023-24 season between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Marlies, and now he’s on a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. Through 13 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins, the 28-year-old Swede has two goals, five points, and 14 penalty minutes.
Though Lagesson hasn’t been known for his physical play since arriving in North America a decade ago, he hasn’t shied away from altercations on the ice. He’s been in four fights at the NHL level, including two while playing with the Oilers, and Lagesson has also dropped the gloves in both the AHL and USHL.

Other news and notes from around the NHL…

  • Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews participated in his first full practice with the team on Tuesday morning since being placed on the Injured Reserve in early November with an upper-body injury. The former Hart Trophy winner last played on November 3 and travelled to Germany to visit a doctor who other players on the Maple Leafs have used in the past for further consultation. Matthews won’t be in the lineup when Toronto plays the Florida Panthers on Wednesday and will miss his ninth consecutive game but the expectation is that he’ll be ready to return soon. According to head coach Craig Berube: “It’s not a healing thing … it’s stamina, getting up to speed and making sure he is ready. We want to make sure he is comfortable and ready to go.’”
  • The Buffalo Sabres will be getting top centre Tage Thompson back from injury on Wednesday when they host the Minnesota Wild. Thompson missed five games after suffering a lower-body injury during a game against the Montreal Canadiens earlier this month. The 6-foot-6 pivot has 11 goals and 18 points over 16 games this season and will provide a boost to a Buffalo team that’s currently tied for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Sabres went 4-1-0 in Thompson’s absence and have an 11-9-1 record on the season.
  • New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider responded to trade rumours that started when general manager Chris Drury sent a memo to the rest of the league stating the team was open for business when it comes to moving veteran players. Speculation about a trade heated up on Monday when Kreider was absent from New York’s lineup during a 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Kreider clarified that he was scratched because of back spasms rather than anything to do with a trade. He also added: “I think it’s pretty obvious there’s frustration, angst, tension. We’re 20 games in. Let’s go through this s–– now and figure out who we are. We had the best regular season in the history of an Original Six franchise last year, won a Presidents’ Trophy, and didn’t go as far as we would’ve liked. We’re getting exposed right now. Our warts are out there, and teams are picking on the things we don’t do well…We don’t necessarily know what this is right now, right? This could just be part of the story. We look back at this and say, ‘This made us better.'” The Rangers have a 12-7-1 record on the season and sit fourth in a very competitive Metro Division.