NHL Player Safety comes down on John Tavares.

The National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety (DOPS) has come down on Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares on Sunday afternoon.

According an official announcement from the DOPS, Tavares has been issued the maximum allowable fine under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement for a slash he delivered during Saturday night's game against the Edmonton Oilers. That fine, in the amount of $5,000, will amount to what is effectively a slap on the wrist for a player making the kind of money that Tavares is earning from the Leafs, but more importantly it will also result in him being considered a repeat offender in the event of future infractions.

The slash from Tavares was delivered to Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais after the two men battled back and forth several times during the game. Although it is hard to read a player's intent, it appeared to be quite deliberate in nature and appeared to cause injury to Desharnais in the process.