Maple Leafs receive horrible news about Morgan Rielly

Shortly after 6:10 PM, the announcement was made by the NHL players safety department and the spitting chiclets that he was receiving five games for his reckless hit.

Rielly made the decision to go after Grieg, when he chose to do a full blown slapshot on an empty net when the game was won by the senators. There has been an unwritten rule that most fans and all NHL pundits have been talking about over the past couple of days that this is poor behavior and that players need to show more respect towards their opponents.

This suspension will be costly for the Maple Leafs as the team is currently mired in clinging onto their playoff spot as other teams around them continue to improve and possibly surpass them. Rielly is an integral part of the team especially when it comes to the power play and their top line.

Over the next five games, the Maple Leafs be playing a lot of fringe bubble teams which could bode well for them as they continue to need wins.