Rasmus Dahlin: Five-Game Suspension of Evgeni Malkin Highlights Limits of Phone Hearings and On-Ice Calls
0: 35 into the second period. At that mark, Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin struck Buffalo defenseman rasmus dahlin, an act that produced an on-ice minor penalty for cross-checking, a major penalty for slashing, a game misconduct, a five-game suspension and a forfeiture of $158, 854. 15.
What happened on the ice?
Verified facts: Early in the second period of the game in Pittsburgh, Malkin and rasmus dahlin made contact at the side of the Buffalo net. Both players received off-setting minor penalties for cross-checking. Malkin was additionally assessed a major penalty for slashing and a 10-minute game misconduct and was ejected from the contest.
Details in the league file state that video shows Malkin raised his stick and struck Dahlin on the helmet and shoulder, and that the contact was not accidental. The on-ice sequence led to an immediate ejection and subsequent disciplinary review by the league’s player-safety authority.
What the NHL’s Department of Player Safety determined
Verified facts: The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety imposed a five-game suspension on Evgeni Malkin without pay for the slashing incident. Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and based on Malkin’s average annual salary, he will forfeit $158, 854. 15 to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Procedural note from the league record: Malkin had a hearing scheduled over the phone at 6: 00 p. m. Eastern Time, which constrained the maximum suspension that could be imposed in that process to five games. The department also noted in its review that Malkin was not off-balance when he struck the opponent, further informing the disciplinary decision.
How precedent and prior discipline frame this case for Rasmus Dahlin
Verified facts: Evgeni Malkin has prior disciplinary history, including a one-game suspension in 2019 for a high-sticking incident and a four-game suspension in April 2022 for cross-checking. In the game at issue, Buffalo managed to win while the incident led to a five-minute major power play; one game record shows the Sabres converted during a five-minute power play to secure the win.
Analysis (clearly labeled): Taken together, the on-ice calls (minor for cross-checking against each player and major for slashing) and the league’s determination that the contact was deliberate produced a maximum-size punishment available under the telephone-hearing protocol. The simultaneous existence of an immediate ejection, a major penalty, and only a five-game suspension underscores a structural limit: when hearings are held by phone at a set time, the disciplinary ceiling is fixed regardless of the on-ice severity signals.
Accountability and next steps (verified vs. analysis): Verified: the Department of Player Safety issued the five-game suspension and the forfeited salary figure. Analysis: The sequence exposes a tension between visible on-ice severity—striking an opponent’s helmet in plain view—and procedural constraints that cap punishment in certain hearing formats. That tension raises a public-interest question: if telephone hearings inherently limit maximum discipline, should the format be revisited when incidents result in ejections and major penalties?
Final reckoning: The record in this case—Malkin’s ejection for slashing rasmus dahlin at 0: 35 of the second period, the subsequent five-game suspension and $158, 854. 15 forfeiture, and the prior disciplinary history for the player—creates a narrow but concrete window for policy review. Fans, teams and the league’s disciplinary body now face a clear choice about whether procedural limits align with the goals of player safety and consistent deterrence, especially in cases that involve contact to the head.
