The Philadelphia Flyers are fighting hard to secure a postseason berth in the final week of the regular season, but they will have to face that task without one or their most dynamic players.
The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today that forward Zac Rinaldo has been suspended for four games without pay as a result of the major hit he gave to Buffalo Sabres’ defenseman Chad Ruhwedel on April 6th.
The incident occurred with less than five minutes to play in the third period and Rinaldo was ejected from the game due to an illegal check to the head. As a result, he will forfeit $15.384.60 of his annual salary. The money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Rinaldo has been a solid player for the Flyers this season. He doesn’t have many points – only two goals and four total points in 67th games – but he’s clearly one of the best checking forwards in the league. His 153 PIM ranked 4th all over the NHL and there’s no doubt the Flyers will miss his toughness in the final games of the regular season.