Avalanche’s Nazem Kadri appealing 8-game suspension

Colorado Avalanche’s Nazem Kadri is appealing his eight-game suspension that he was handed after checking St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in the head.

After the incident happened in Game 2 of the Avalanche-Blues first-round matchup, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety declared the incident as an illegal check in a Friday hearing and suspended Kadri for eight games, which started during Game 3.

Kadri is now appealing the suspension, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The 30-year-old centre will be going in front of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to appeal his suspension, and can further appeal to a third-party arbitrator afterwards if he’s unsatisfied with the decision.

Following the department’s decision, they explained in a video that, “Players who repeatedly violate league playing rules will be more severely punished for each new violation,” and cited Kadri as “a player with substantial disciplinary record.”

While Kadri argued that he intended a full body check on Faulk, the department said that the incident was avoidable and the check should've been made from a different angle.

This decision kept Kadri out of the lineup for the remainder of the first round, and with the Avs’ 4-0 sweep of the Blues on Sunday, he’ll continue serving his suspension for six more games in the second round.

This is Kadri’s third suspension that he’s been given during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the sixth of his career.

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