With Tom Wilson‘s 20-game suspension being reduced to 14 games by an independent arbitrator on Tuesday, the Washington Capital will play in his first game of the 2018-19 NHL regular season Tuesday night against Minnesota.
What everyone is wondering, though, is how much his game changes, if at all. In the year from the 2017 pre-season to the 2018 pre-season, Wilson was suspended a total of four times, but the latest cost him the most money, given he signed a six-year, $31-million contract in June. This suspension was to cost him $1.3 million, but the arbitrator’s ruling ultimately shaved some off that total. Wilson already served 16 games, so while he can’t get back the two he already missed, he will only be charged a monetary penalty for the 14 games.
Speaking to the media Tuesday after his player had been reinstated, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan talked about how things may change for Wilson on the ice.
“He’s going to have to avoid some hits and he’s going to have to let up on some hits also,” MacLellan said. “You can’t have the same force because he hits hard and it looks bad, and sometimes he’s going to be evaluated on the force.”
MacLellan later added: “There’s certain hits he just has to stop trying.”
Earlier in the day, Wilson spoke to the Washington Post, saying: “It’s just going to be putting myself in a good position, not to have the ball in [Player Safety’s] court, and make sure that I’m controlling my end of it and make sure I’m controlling what I can do. Because at the end of the day, missing 15, 16 games can’t happen. At the end of the day, it’s on me, and I have to control that better and make sure I’m out there playing.”
His latest suspension came in the pre-season when Wilson hit Oskar Sundqvist as he cut to the middle of the ice. The St. Louis Blues forward sustained a shoulder injury, facial laceration and concussion and didn’t play his first game of the season until Oct. 25.
Wilson is expected to return to his spot on the right side of Washington’s top line with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin.
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