On Monday evening, the NHL came down hard on Toronto Maple Leafs forward, David Clarkson, as he was assessed an automatic 10-game suspension for leaving the bench to join an altercation.
In the 3rd period of the preseason game between the Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres, a line brawl ensued, involving Phil Kessel and Sabres forward John Scott, to which everyone on the ice was involved, including goalies Jonathan Bernier and Ryan Miller. Video evidence shows Clarkson coming off the bench during the scrum and joined the fracas, which is an automatic penalty for the veteran forward.
In all likelihood, Kessel will also get a call from the NHL Department of Player Safety, as there was more than enough evidence from his stick-swinging, to warrant a call.
Clarkson will miss 10 regular season games, but is still eligible to play in the rest of the Leafs' preseason games.
This is a tough break for Tony in the draft, as he drops 10 games right off the hop. Clarkson won't be eligible to come back until October 25th, which is smack-dab in the middle of Week Four. Unfortunately for Tony, since this is a suspension and not an injury, Clarkson is not eligible for the preseason waiver period and cannot be replaced. Granted, if Clarkson was to get hurt in the remaining preseason games, which he is eligible to play in, he would then be made eligible.
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