Dallas Stars forward Ryan Garbutt will have his GM in tow for tomorrow’s meeting with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
Jim Nill will accompany Garbutt to the league offices, according to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. The two will have a chance to address Garbutt’s hit on Ducks forward Dustin Penner during Anaheim’s 6-3 win on Sunday, a hit that knocked Penner out and forced him from the contest entirely.
Penner, 31, also didn’t travel with the Ducks to Toronto for the start of their season-long eight-game road trip. He remained in Anaheim to undergo evaluation and concussion testing.
Expect conspiracy theorists to raise their eyebrows at Nill going to the meeting (set for 11 a.m. ET). The longtime assistant GM in Detroit, Nill worked under Ken Holland during the golden Red Wings era that included a 10-year stint (and, three Stanley Cups) with Brendan Shanahan from 1996-2006.
Shanahan, of course, is the NHL’s discipline czar.