Ryan Hartman to have hearing for slew-footing Alex DeBrincat

Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman is set to have a hearing for slew-footing Detroit Red Wings’ forward Alex DeBrincat. The incident occurred just past the halfway mark of the third period during the Sunday match-up between the Red Wings and Wild. Hartman did not receive a penalty on the play.

The play happened when Red Wings’ forward Michael Rasmussen was carrying the puck up the ice and Hartman was trying to keep up with him. As Hartman got closer to Rasmussen, he brushed past DeBrincat causing him to fall over backwards. DeBrincat never saw it coming as Hartman used his skate to lightly push the DeBrincat from behind. While he did that, Hartman used his arm to push DeBrincat down onto the ice.

DeBrincat fortunately did not sustain any injuries on the play but those kinds of plays can have disastrous consequences. The Red Wings’ forward took issue with the incident and came over to Hartman a few seconds later to give him a little “what for”. They ended up exchanging a few cross-checks to the upper body.

Hartman is having a decent season on a struggling Wild team. He has seven goals and 11 points in 18 games this year, tied for fourth on the team in points with Marco Rossi. The 29-year-old forward is coming off a 37-point season last year and is two years removed from a 65-point campaign in 2021-22. He recently signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Wild that takes effect in the 2024-25 season.

DeBrincat is in the first season with his hometown team, the Red Wings. They traded a hefty package for him in the offseason after he couldn’t come to a long-term contract agreement with the Ottawa Senators. So far this year, DeBrincat has scored 12 goals and 20 points in 20 games. He leads the club in goals by a wide margin and is behind only Dylan Larkin for the team lead in points.