Bettman upholds Andersson's 4-game suspension for charging Laine

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld the four-game suspension of Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson for charging Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine.

The NHLPA had filed an appeal on behalf of Andersson on Sunday. Andersson and his representation made a case to reduce the suspension to three games, which was ultimately rejected.

Andersson's camp attempted to justify a reduced suspension by leveraging the importance of the Heritage Classic against the Edmonton Oilers compared to a typical regular-season contest. "No weight" was given to this by Bettman, and as a result, the Oct. 29 outdoor game will serve as the final game of Andersson's ban.

Andersson received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit, which occurred in the waning seconds of Columbus' 3-1 victory Friday.

Andersson catches Laine with a hit in the dying seconds of the game. pic.twitter.com/VvpTXylYYU

- Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 21, 2023

The last player to serve a four-game suspension was Evgeni Malkin in April 2022 after he cross-checked Mark Borowiecki.

Laine was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury as a result of the collision. The winger-turned-center has tallied a goal and an assist in four games thus far.

Andersson had never been suspended in his eight-year NHL career, although he was fined in 2021-22 for headbutting Kailer Yamamoto. He's recorded three points in five games this season while averaging a team-high 23:39.

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