Ex-Blackhawk Offered In-Person Hearing With NHL DOPS

Former Blackhawk Center Ryan Hartman has found himself in trouble often with the Department of Player Safety.

Last year he was suspended in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights after he threw his stick in the direction of a referee in 2024.

He can't seem to stay out of trouble, as last night the Minnesota Wild were thumped by the Ottawa Senators.

An angry Hartman would retaliate on Senators forward Tim Stutzle and would receive a match penalty, for an attempt to injure the center.

Hartman, in the face-off circle would intentionally "DDT" Stutzle, onto the ice in what appeared to be a deliberate move by the forward.

This could be Hartman's fifth career suspension if George Parros and the DOPS see fit to remove him from the Wild's lineup.

Since he's a repeat offender, Hartman is likely to be offered the maximum penalty available by the DOPS.

It is customary for the Department of Player Safety to offer in-person hearings when the judgment for the infraction is longer than a typical suspension.

We have no idea what discipline will be given to Hartman. For now, all we can do is speculate.

Hartman has struggled in Minnesota and hasn't been the player the Wild have expected him to be after his career-year in 2021-2022 which saw him tally 34 goals, and 65 points.

He's struggled this year, scoring only 17 points in 48 games with the Wild this season.

He's found himself in the Wild lineup as an ancillary player on the second line, being centered by up-and-coming Marco Rossi. A disparate situation for someone like Hartman.

In 2023-2024, he was also served a suspension for an intentionally high-stick to the Winnipeg Jet's Cole Perfetti's face.

Hartman's had some serious discipline issues and hasn't been the elite player we all thought he was in 2021-2022. Could this be a time for the Wild to re-evaluate their relationship with the forward?

He's on the Wild's payroll for two more seasons, with a cap hit of $4 million AAV. Could this be the incident that causes Bill Guerin to second-guess Hartman's place in Minnesota, or will it be business as usual?