Connor McDavid suggests ‘we take a look at the process’ to improve NHL player safety
As the conversation surrounding player safety has come to the forefront again, the NHL’s best player has weighed in on the discussion.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid spoke with the media ahead of Sunday’s game against the Nashville Predators, and spoke about the NHL Department of Player Safety, acknowledging how tough of a job they have while also critiquing the department and how improvement is still needed.
McDavid today acknowledged that player safety is a tough job and said he thinks they’re doing their best but also felt there was reason to look into the process. “..If every time there is a suspension everybody complains about it well, why don’t we take a look at the process
“If every time there is a suspension everybody complains about it well, why don’t we take a look at the process and figure out if there’s a better way to make sure that both parties are happy because it seems like there’s a lot of frustration,” McDavid said.
The conversation wake of Thursday’s game between the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs, where Ducks’ defenseman Radko Gudas hit Leafs center Auston Matthews in a knee-on-knee collision. The result of the hit was a Grade 3 MCL tear for Matthews, which will keep him out of the Leafs’ lineup for the rest of the 2025-26 season. Meanwhile, Gudas only received a five-game suspension for the hit, despite the fact that he has a history of suspensions, with his total now reaching five different suspensions and 26 games.
The hit and punishment has added plenty of doubt towards the department of player safety, particularly for how they fail to protect their star players. The current process often favours the role-playing and tough players who lay out the dirty hits instead of punishing them properly and preventing them from doing it again, making the game dangerous for the best players who are more likely to be targeted because of how often they have the puck on their stick.
While McDavid has never been hurt off of a suspendable play like Matthews has, he’s certainly dealt with his fair share of contact from players which has gone unnoticed. Just last season, he was suspended for three games for cross-checking Conor Garland, and while the suspension was deserved, McDavid only dished out the cross-check after an extended sequence of interference from Garland which went uncalled. In a league continuing to grow and doing so by marketing their star players, there is certainly more room to grow to allow them to thrive, particularly from a perspective of safety.