Paul Cotter receives multi-game suspension from NHL Player Safety.

The National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety has acted very quickly in this matter and I think we now know why.

On Monday, the disciplinary arm of the National Hockey League announced that New Jersey Devils forward Paul Cotter would receive a multi-game suspension for his illegal hit to the head on New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech. It will be a 2 game ban for Cotter and I believe that is the reason for the speedy decision in this case.

NHL Player Safety surprised many when they announced that Cotter would have a hearing very shortly after the hit itself, but the timing of this announcement and the length of this suspension are of huge importance to the New Jersey Devils. The Devils have two games remaining in the regular season, a game on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins and a game on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings, which means that Cotter will not miss any playoff games as a result of this infraction.

While the Devils likely won't be thrilled that Cotter has been suspended at all, the fact that he will be eligible for Game 1 of the playoffs is likely the biggest takeaway from today's announcement.

As I mentioned in my original article about this hit, I suspected that the league would argue that head contact was avoidable in this situation and that was indeed the main point of emphasis in their breakdown of this ruling. You can hear the full breakdown of that ruling, as well as watch a replay of the hit itself from multiple angles, in the short video below: