Mikko Rantanen will miss the Dallas Stars†upcoming road game against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday as he serves an automatic one-game suspension.
On November 18, with under a minute remaining in regulation, Rantanen skated through a check by New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield and checked Alex Romanov from behind, propelling him violently into the end boards. Romanov was eventually assisted off the ice. Rantanen was given a five-minute major for boarding, which carries an automatic game misconduct.
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The NHL did not discipline Rantanen for the hit, citing the slight contact from Mayfield, a decision that did not sit well with many fans. While Mayfield may have slowed him slightly, that hardly explains Rantanenâ€s forward thrust that carried him through Mayfield and into Romanov, though that was the rationale offered after the fact.
In discussions with my colleagues, we reached a consensus. The NHLâ€s decision not to suspend Rantanen for the hit on Romanov risked setting a troubling precedent. Hockey is a contact sport, yet such leniency could encourage players to take liberties that endanger their peers. What was especially surprising, however, was that it would be Mikko Rantanen himself repeating the same behavior just days later against the Calgary Flames, charging out of the penalty box and plowing through Matt Coronato.
“Dallas†Mikko Rantanen has been automatically suspended for one game under Rule 23.6, Physical Infractions Category,” the NHL Department of Player Safety said in a statement on X. “In regular season League games, any player who incurs a total of two (2) game misconduct penalties in the Physical Infractions Category, before playing 41 consecutive regular season League games without such penalty, shall be suspended automatically for the next League game of his team.”
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Revisiting the hit on Romanov, who is now sidelined for five to six months following shoulder surgery sustained in the play, it is evident that Rantanenâ€s intent was to deliver a forceful impact. While Mayfieldâ€s contact may have slightly altered his trajectory, there is little doubt that his objective was to drive Romanov into the boards. Rantanen extended his arms—a motion rarely seen in the context of a conventional hockey stop, but one commonly employed to deliver a hit, which is what happened.
If the play had truly been unintentional, and Rantanen had merely “lost control†to the detriment of Romanovâ€s season, it seems unlikely he would engage in similarly reckless behavior just two games later. Yet he did, charging out of the penalty box and targeting Matt Coronato. This was not a simple boarding incident; Rantanen took at least five strides before reaching Coronato, meeting the criteria for charging as well. Boarding, charging, two game misconducts in less than a week—and all of it resulting in only a one-game suspension—raises serious questions about the leagueâ€s disciplinary standards.
What are we actually doing? What is the point of having a Department of Player Safety if we’re not actually taking safety seriously. It’s like having a department in the government dedicated to balancing the budget while consistently being in debt and not actually doing the things the people voted for you to accomplish.
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The issue extends beyond setting a poor precedent, as the optics are equally troubling and demand serious scrutiny. According to NHL rules, a player must accumulate two game misconducts within a 41-game span to trigger an automatic suspension. When a player reaches that threshold in just a matter of days, it seems reasonable to question whether a more substantial penalty is warranted. The league could have easily imposed a four- or five-game suspension on Rantanen if it chose to exercise stricter judgment. It is, after all, the NHLâ€s prerogative, but should another player sustain a serious injury due to what appears to be leniency, the consequences for the leagueâ€s credibility could be severe.
It is also important to recognize that the NHL faces a significant dilemma with sports betting. A 2018 Nielsen Sports study estimated that the leagueâ€s annual revenue could increase by at least $216 million from sports betting alone, a figure that has likely grown considerably in the years since. Suspensions can be costly for business. Much like in combat sports, where a fighter testing positive for a banned substance can disrupt events and revenue, leagues often calibrate penalties to minimize financial disruption. First-time offenders typically receive six-month suspensions, which coincides roughly with the natural cadence of a fighterâ€s career, thereby limiting the impact on the sportâ€s revenue stream.
For the NHL, however, the priority should be clear: protecting players must take precedence, regardless of the team or the business considerations involved.
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