Although the Boston Bruins have their hands full with Tom Wilson, among others, as they face the Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Black and Gold at least can take solace in that they won’t be left black and blue this year by the questionable play of Nazem Kadri.
Kadri, known for tiptoeing (and often crossing) the line, drew the ire of Bruins fans on multiple occasions throughout his 10 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, most notably during the playoffs in 2018 and 2019.
Now, Kadri, a member of the Colorado Avalanche, is facing another suspension for another dirty hit. This time, St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk was on the receiving end of Kadri’s recklessness.
Check it out below.
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Thursday that Kadri has been offered an in-person hearing via Zoom for illegally checking Faulk in the head Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Avalanche-Blues series. The date and time of the hearing is TBD, signaling a potentially lengthy suspension for Kadri, especially when you consider his track record as a repeat offender.
That would mean a third postseason suspension in four years for Kadri, a hard-nosed forward with goal-scoring ability who’s actually a good, impactful player when he avoids the unnecessary cheap shots.
Kadri was suspended for the remainder of the Bruins-Maple Leafs series in 2019 — ultimately five games — for cross-checking Jake DeBrusk in the face. That came exactly one year after Kadri earned a three-game suspension during the 2018 Boston-Toronto series for boarding Tommy Wingels.
So, yeah, not exactly a model citizen on the ice.
Kadri was ejected from Wednesday’s game, which the Avs won 6-3 to take a 2-0 series lead. Faulk also left the game after laying motionless from the devastating blow.
The Avalanche, who acquired Kadri from the Maple Leafs in a trade before last season, are among the Stanley Cup favorites thanks to their loaded roster. Losing Kadri certainly cuts into Colorado’s depth, though, and the 30-year-old (again) has no one to blame but himself.
