Hurricanes Defenseman Will Not Face Discipline for Dangerous Takedown

After a dangerous maneuver in a fight against the Washington Capitals, a Carolina Hurricanes defenseman will not face any extra discipline.

Jan 5, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield (5) celebrates his goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / James Guillory-Imagn Images

Pandemonium broke out in the final moments between the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes with 124 penalty minutes handed out in just seven minutes of playing time. Numerous fights and scrums filled the back half of the third period with one of them coming between Capitals forward Connor McMichael and Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield.

Their fight was the final fight of the game between the Capitals and Hurricanes, but Chatfield pulled out a dangerous maneuver that seemed worthy of a call from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Chatfield used his leg to upend McMichael and throw him to the ice back first.

McMichael is lucky he didn’t bounce his head off the ice, while Chatfield is lucky he’s not receiving any supplementary discipline. According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the NHL Department of Player Safety is not expected to add any further punishment toward Chatfield for his takedown.

Not expecting any supplemental discipline for #Canes Jalen Chatfield from @NHLPlayerSafety for his takedown of #allcaps Connor McMichael during their fight on Wednesday night.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 3, 2025

In real-time, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the takedown, but the slow-motion replay exposed the dangerous move.

Both Chatfield and McMichael were given five-minute fighting majors and 10-minute misconducts, but plenty of experts believed the play should have warranted a call from the league.

Chatfield put McMichael in an extremely dangerous position that could have ended way worse than it did.

The NHL Department of Player Safety has a long-standing reputation with inconsistency, and this is just another prime example of those shortcomings.

The Hurricanes walked away from their tension-filled game against the Capitals 5-1 winners and sealed a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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