Dennis Wideman

Calgary's Dennis Wideman has his 20-game suspension upheld

Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman had his 20-game suspension upheld by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

What It Means:

Wideman apologized for hitting linesman Donnie Henderson even as he contended he had no intent to make contact with the official. However, after the conclusion of his initial hearing for the hit, Wideman sent a text message to a teammate which read, "[t]he only problem and the only reason I'm here is 'cause the stupid refs and stupid media." Bettman therefore questioned the sincerity of Wideman's apology and even brought up the possibility of increasing his suspension from it's current 20 games, something which he had the power to do. He ultimately decided to keep the suspension at its current level in light of Wideman's "prior exemplary disciplinary record."

In 48 games, Wideman has recorded two goals and 17 assists. Our rest-of-season projections have Wideman scoring three more goals with 12 more assists, but those numbers will take a hit if he misses significant time. His -4.3 Relative Corsi For Percentage at Even Strength is the worst mark of his career while his 46.3 Corsi For Percentage is the second-worst clip of his career.