Andrew Shaw: Delayed Decision on Suspension Is Unfair to Blackhawks

The Blackhawks have a postseason game to play in less than 10 hours, and they have no idea which players they're allowed to send out on the ice. There's something a bit frustrating about that. 

You can say that Andrew Shaw brought this fate upon himself when he nailed Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith with a head shot behind the net in the second period of Saturday's 4-3 overtime win. Shaw, a rookie forward on the Blackhawks' third line, received a five-minute major and a game misconduct, which includes an automatic $200 fine.

Now, while the league reviews the illegal hit and decides whether or not Shaw will receive any further punishment, the Blackhawks can do nothing but wait. While they prepare for Game 3 of this quarterfinals series, they don't know who can and cannot take the ice. 

By all indications, there was no ill will involved in Shaw's hit. It was a nasty hit, but it wasn't malicious. After the game, which allowed Chicago to tie the series at 1-1, Shaw told ESPNChicago.com's Jesse Rogers: 

"

He went to play the puck. His stick came up towards my face and so I tried to get away from it and unfortunately I made a little contact. I'm glad he's OK. 

"

Shaw had a phone call with the NHL department of player safety on Monday afternoon. Normally, after such a call, the league is able to hand down a decision by the end of the day. But here we are on Tuesday, almost 24 hours later, and we have no word on Shaw's fate.

Part of the delay could be that the Coyotes haven't yet announced whether Smith will play in Tuesday's Game 3. The goaltender stayed in Saturday's game after being treated by team trainers, but he was kept off the ice for Monday's practice session, leading to speculation that he might miss Tuesday's game. 

The Coyotes could be gunning for a power play by refusing to comment on Smith's status, therefore keeping their opponent off-balance. They could be hoping that, by keeping Smith's status up in the air, the league might decide to increase Shaw's punishment. They also could simply be waiting until the last minute on Tuesday to see whether their goalie will be good to go. 

As a result, the league—which has been known to increase the severity of punishments if injury results from a penalty—could be waiting for word on Smith's fate before it figures out what to do with Shaw.

It would be different if this were a regular-season throwaway game. In that case, the NHL could take its sweet time before handing down a punishment. But this is the playoffs, and there's no room for messing around. The Blackhawks need to know who will be available for Tuesday's game, and the longer they have to wait, the greater their disadvantage. 

It's not like we're talking about Marian Hossa or Patrick Sharp being suspended. It's not to say that Shaw's impact on the Hawks is irrelevant, but this is a third-line rookie center who registered 23 points in 37 games this season. Can't the league just hurry up and make a decision already?

If Shaw’s hit warrants further suspension, fine. It was an illegal hit and it obviously carries consequences. But just figure it out, already. 

The longer the league waits to make a decision, the more the Hawks' preparation for Game 3 has been compromised. So whether or not the NHL officially suspends Shaw for part of or all of Tuesday's game, Chicago has already been punished.