Paul Maurice, the Florida Panthers’ successful and sassy head coach, was not impressed by the NHL’s fine of New York Rangers’ defenseman Jacob Trouba on Monday.
Trouba threw another seemingly blatant elbow — this time on Panthers center Evan Rodriques during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Officials initially went from making no call on Trouba, to calling a major so they could review and then downgrading it to a two-minute minor for elbowing.
Because Trouba’s elbow connected with Rodriques’ head, the NHL rulebook suggests it should be a major.
A major penalty, at the discretion of the Referee, shall be imposed on any player who uses his elbow to illegally check an opponent. A major penalty must be imposed under this rule for an infraction resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent.
The Panthers would go on to lose 5-4 in overtime as the Rangers took a 2-1 lead in the seven-game series.
Monday, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that Trouba was fined “the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement”: $5,000.
Maurice refused comment on the officiating after the team’s practice, but he did offer some sarcasm which said everything you needed to know about how he felt.
“Take the hat, pass it around,” Maurice said to the media, suggesting they collect donations. “Poor lad. Poor Jake. He won’t be able to eat.”
The fine is essentially a slap on the wrist to the Rangers’ rearguard, representing less than one percent (0.0006) of his total salary of $8 million this season.
The hit to Rodriques continues a troubling trend for Trouba, especially in this year’s postseason. The physical defenseman is one of the biggest hitters in the league, but his elbow coming up is becoming a pattern that at times has hurt other players. Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports posted a highlight reel of Trouba’s recent aggressions.
Raising the elbow suggests an intent to injure yet Trouba has continued to escape suspension time after time. Earlier in the season, he injured Sonny Milano with a borderline hit to the head in the defensive zone, forcing the Capitals’ forward to miss two months of time.
