Bettman Backs Parros In Gudas Ruling— Puts Onus on McDavid and Players

As expected, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman backed the head of the NHL Department of Player Safety, George Parros, and his ruling on giving Radko Gudas only a five-game suspension. So too, he seemed to hint that if the players wanted to make a change to the process, they should have spoken during the last round of CBA negotiations.

Elliotte Friedman noted:

“I don’t think anybody should be surprised that the commissioner defended George Parros; that’s what he’s going to do—that’s the way he is. I don’t think that’s a big shocker at all. You know, he said a lot of the things that we’ve all kind of been talking about this week: that maybe people didn’t like the play or the outcome, but if you look at the history of kneeing suspensions, that’s where they come in, and Gudas came in on the high end. It just shows that the threat of appeal, or the use of precedence, is a very big factor in all these decisions.”

The controversy stems from the Anaheim Ducks defenseman delivering a knee-on-knee hit to Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews on March 12, 2026, which resulted in a season-ending injury for Matthews. The NHL Department of Player Safety, led by Parros, suspended Gudas for five games, a decision that sparked widespread backlash from fans and players. Connor McDavid was among those who suggested the entire process needs to be revisited. Matthews’ agent Judd Moldaver called it “laughable and preposterous.”

The Players Never Brought This Up During the Last CBA Negotiation

Friedman also noted that, despite the longstanding narrative that this is a contentious issue for the players, it has not come up as something that has needed addressing in previous CBA negotiations. In other words, if this were something that was a real problem, it should have been mentioned when the league was open to doing something about it.

For example, if McDavid’s take is accurate, that the players are all frustrated, why wasn’t it addressed then?