Maple Leafs furious at leak from NHL Department of Player Safety!

Earlier today, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving did not address the press as everyone expected to discuss the suspension of his defenseman Morgan Rielly. The blue liner was given a five game ban on Tuesday for cross-checking Ottawa Senators’ Ridly Greig in the head on Saturday.

The incident took place on Saturday night, at the end of the game when Greig fired a slap shot into the empty net and Rielly responded by cross-checking the 21-year-old up high. The Leafs’ defenseman was assessed a match penalty in the final five seconds of a 5-3 loss.

It was confirmed that Rielly was going to appeal his suspension. The appeal will be filed directly to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Darren Dreger’s reports may explain why the Leafs and Rielly are going after the NHL Department of Player Safety as they are furious why how they learned about the ban.

According to Dreger, Maple Leafs and Rielly learned of the five-game suspension through a leak before being informed by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

“That’s what has them as wrangled as I’ve heard from my Leafs sources in a long long time,” Dreger said before the game against the St. Louis Blues. “I’ll use the word disappointed, that’s not the word that was thrown at me in describing the events of the day.”

It is true that before the NHL’s official channels made the announcement, ESPN insider Keven Weekes tweeted that he had heard the suspension was five games in length for Rielly. A length of suspension is rarely broken by a reporter before the league contacts the team, player and announces it on their channels prior.

When the suspension was announced by the league, the NHL said that Rielly’s reaction was not a hockey play and added a strike to the head was easily avoidable.

With this suspension, the first of his career, Rielly will forfeit more than $195,312 in salary. He will be eligible to return on Feb. 22 when the Maple Leafs visit the Vegas Golden Knights.

As for the appeal, it could be officialized soon. Rielly’s lone appeal option is to the commissioner as he isn’t eligible to appeal to a neutral arbitrator as the suspension is under six games. He will most likely use the argument of the leak as part of his appeal.

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