Three months into his rookie season, Nashville Predators forward Zach L’Heureux has shown his potential as a feisty, puck-retrieving winger with a knack for bothering opponents.
But in Tuesday’s 5-3 loss at the Minnesota Wild, L’Heureux pushed the boundaries of the NHL rulebook too far and it led to a three-game suspension. He will forfeit $13,489.59 in pay.
At the 3:19 mark of the second period, L’Heureux was assessed a game misconduct for a slew-foot on Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon. As both players chased a loose puck in the corner, L’Heureux engaged with the back of Spurgeon’s legs using his left leg, then simultaneously pushed Spurgeon’s upper body backwards as he crashed into the wall − a textbook slew-foot move, as per NHL rule 52.1.
Spurgeon didn’t return to the game and didn’t practice on Thursday.
Slew-footing is an automatic match penalty, which removed L’Heureux from the game. It was L’Heureux’s first game misconduct in the NHL − but he is not unfamiliar with being removed from hockey games for dangerous play.
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L’Heureux was suspended on nine separate occasions while playing junior hockey in the QMJHL, the longest being a 10-game suspension for jabbing his stick in the direction of opposing fans as he was leaving the ice. In the American Hockey League, L’Heureux was suspended on two separate occasions, including a two-game suspension for sucker punching a player from behind.
Most of L’Heureux’s suspensions have been for high-sticking, fight instigation and unsportsmanlike conduct. His last suspension came in the AHL on March 7, a one-game suspension following a fight with multiple Manitoba Moose players.
While L’Heureux has tamed his erratic physical play since arriving in the NHL − he previously had only 12 penalty minutes in 32 games − his dangerous play on Tuesday earned him a call from the NHL.
In November 2021, Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand was suspended three games for a similar slew-foot on Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.