For the past two seasons, Raffi Torres has battled knee injuries that have hampered him from seeing meaningful action with the San Jose Sharks. After finally getting healthy for the upcoming 2015-16 season, Torres has taken himself off the ice this time after delivering a questionable hit during the preseason finale against the Anaheim Ducks.
On Monday afternoon, the NHL Department of Player Safety hammered Torres with a 41-game suspension that will ban him for half the season.
San Jose's Raffi Torres has been suspended 41 games for an illegal check to the head and interference. Video: http://t.co/0Z9kgVAMyq
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) October 5, 2015
The hit in question occurred against Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg, and it’s clear the hit was late and to the head of Slfverberg. Torres received a match penalty on the play, and now pays a hefty price.
According to the NHL’s review of the hit, Silfverberg’s head was the primary point of contact and Silfverberg didn’t put himself into a vulnerable position. Also, Torres vaulted up in the hit, causing the contact with the head and it could have also been called for interference.
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This will be the ninth time during his NHL career that Torres has been warned, fined or suspended, with his latest offense causing him to miss the most amount of time. Also, this is the second time Torres has been suspended as a member of the San Jose Sharks, as he was previously banned for six games after another illegal check to the head of Los Angeles Kings forward Jarret Stoll during the 2013 playoffs.
While there was some gray area in the Stoll hit, there was none in this instance. It was a hit that could have, and should have, been avoided. Torres’ previous history played a factor in the length of the suspension and the NHL sent him a serious message.
This was a hit that needed to be harshly punished, but I’m interested to see how the NHL deals with other questionable hits throughout the season. While Torres is an easy target to make an example of, the NHL has been far too lenient on borderline hits in the past. Will they continue to be or will this suspension change some of their thinking?
Torres’ absence will leave a big void in San Jose’s lineup. While the Sharks do have more depth throughout their organization, Torres provides a presence that this team seems to feed off of, and there’s nobody within the lineup who can replicate it. His actions have left his teammates in a bad position, and he’s let them down by taking himself off the ice.
Torres will be eligible to return on Jan. 14 against the Edmonton Oilers, and he will forfeit more than $440,000 of his salary this season.
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