Oilers' Adam Erne disciplined by NHL's Department of Player Safety
Edmonton Oilers forward Adam Erne has been fined $2,018.23 for elbowing Seattle Kraken forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Edmonton’s Adam Erne has been fined $2,018.23, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Elbowing Seattle’s Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) November 16, 2023
The incident between Erne and Bellemare, which took place in last night’s game between the Oilers and Kraken, resulted in a two-minute penalty for Erne. Most fans and analysts agreed that it was a dirty and unnecessary hit, with some expecting that the NHL’s Department of Player Safety may choose to suspend the Oilers winger.
What may have helped Erne in terms of not receiving a suspension was that Bellemare, despite appearing to be briefly stunned, was able to remain in the game and didn’t suffer any sort of injury for the check.
Erne was quite lucky to only receive a two-minute minor on the play, especially given the time of the game the incident occurred. With roughly 10 minutes to go in the third, the Oilers were trailing the Kraken 3-1, and a five-minute major would have almost certainly lost them the game. Instead, they were able to quickly draw a penalty of their own to put things at even strength, and wound up coming back to not only tie the game, but win it in overtime thanks to some heroics from Evander Kane.
Though Erne won’t be forced to sit out any games, the lack of discipline he showed may make it hard for head coach Kris Knoblauch to trust him moving forward. The 28-year-old, who earned a one-year contract with the Oilers after coming to camp on a professional tryout offer, was in his first game back in the NHL after being recalled from the Bakersfield Condors early Wednesday morning. Though his team was able to come back and earn a hard-fought victory, the untimely matter of this hit may have hurt more than just his wallet.
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