New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban has avoided suspension for his trip on Calgary Flames forward Milan Lucic Tuesday night, earning a $5,000 fine instead. That’s the maximum allowable fine under the current CBA, given the Department of Player Safety deemed the incident not suspendable.
Partway through the first period, as Subban was approaching Lucic in the corner, he appeared to stick out his left leg and slew foot the Flames forward. It caused Lucic to fall dangerously backward, though he did not suffer a serious injury on the play. The call from many fans for Subban to be suspended comes from his history in these events, including an eerily similar play in the preseason against Ryan Reaves of the New York Rangers.
Subban, 32, is averaging fewer than 20 minutes a night for the first time in his career and played just 17:45 for the Devils on Tuesday night. He has yet to record a point through five games after scoring a career-low five goals last season. In the final season of his eight-year, $72M contract, the 2013 Norris winner has been moved down the lineup since the arrival of Dougie Hamilton in New Jersey.
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