McDavid didn't expect suspension before hearing

Connor McDavid didn't think he would be forced to sit out any games for his high hit on Nick Leddy before discussing it with the league.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar said he was surprised by the NHL's reaction to his check from Thursday's game that drew a two-game ban Friday.

"I kind of expected to be suspended (after talking to the Department of Player Safety, but) I have to be honest, I didn't think (I) was going to be suspended at all going into the hearing," McDavid told reporters Saturday. "But after hearing their tone of voice and whatnot, I had a little bit of a sense that it was going to go that way."

McDavid appeared to criticize the process, which resulted in the first suspension of his NHL career.

"I think a lot of times, they go in and they already have their mind made up," he said. "They don't really care what you have to say. So ultimately, the hearing went as good as you'd expect."

McDavid hasn't decided whether to appeal but has 48 hours from the time of the decision to do so.

Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson said Saturday that the organization is "really disappointed" with the ruling, echoing his statement from Friday in which he said the team strongly disagreed with McDavid's suspension.

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