Vancouver Canucks standout defenceman Alexander Edler is expected to be suspended for the first two games of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament as an extension of a previous suspension by the International Ice Hockey Federation, according to News1130 Sports in Vancouver.
In May, during a quarterfinal game against Canada at the world ice hockey championships, the Ostersund, Sweden native was given a five-minute major and game misconduct after a knee-on-knee hit to Canadian forward Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The collision sent Staal to the ice writhing in pain and resulted in Edler getting suspended for the remainder of the tournament, which ended up being a total of two games.
Edler’s agent, Mark Stowe, told News1130 Monday that he expects the IIHF to add an additional two games to his suspension.
Stowe added that Edler, 27, met with IIHF officials over the weekend and that an official announcement could be made soon.
There is no guarantee that Edler, who was named to Sweden’s summer selection camp roster, will make the final Olympic roster, though it’s expected he will.
Staal suffered a third-degree sprain of his medial collateral ligament on the play, but did not require surgery and the Hurricanes expect him to be ready for the start of the 2013-14 NHL season.
