Vegas Golden Knights: Nate Schmidt suspended 20 games
The NHL has announced Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt has violated the league’s performance-enhancing substance program. He now faces a 20 game suspension.
A lot of things went right last season for the Vegas Golden Knights. They had a number of players have success in roles they previously had not held. Arguably their biggest surprise was Nate Schmidt, who was by virtually every metric their top defenseman.
The Knights will face a tough early test, as the NHL has announced Schmidt has been suspended for 20 games. He has violated the league’s Performance Enhancing Substances Program. This is Schmidt’s first violation.
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt has been suspended for the first 20 regular-season games of the 2018-19 season, without pay, for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) September 2, 2018
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
He refutes the claim, releasing a statement that explains the process. Schmidt tested positive for an illegal substance, but had a trace amount in his system. In his statement, he said he had one-seven billionth of a milligram in his system and an expert confirmed this during the appeal process. The Golden Knights released a statement as well, expressing their disagreement with the suspension as well
Schmidt will be eligible to return on Nov. 18 when the Knights square off against the Edmonton Oilers. His statement implies that he does not agree with the suspension, but with the appeals process over, it appears he won’t be fighting it further.
This is a huge loss for the Golden Knights, as Schmidt did extremely well for them last season. He took on his opponents’ toughest players and still managed to be a net gain in possession. Schmidt more than doubled his previous career high (17 points) with 36 points in 76 games.
He also set career highs with five goals and 31 assists. Without Schmidt, the Golden Knights will have to turn to a new top pairing defenseman. Shea Theodore (assuming he signs a contract) figures to be opposite whoever replaces Schmidt.
One Reason Each Team Should Be Excited For Next Season. dark. Next
Considering how many minutes he played for the Golden Knights last season, they’ll miss him dearly during his 20 game suspension. In their first 20 games, Vegas will face 11 teams that made the playoffs last season during Schmidt’s suspension. Additionally, they’ll face the St. Louis Blues, who were very close to making the postseason.