NHL hits ‘repeat offender’ Wild forward Ryan Hartman with 10-game suspension

BOSTON – Ryan Hartman will be out of action for the next month-plus after the NHL Department of Player Safety issued its stiffest punishment of the season.

The Wild forward was suspended 10 games for roughing — “using his forearm to violently slam the head of Senators forward Tim Stützle into the ice” — during the Wild’s 6-0 loss Saturday. Hartman won’t be eligible to return until March 9 vs. Pittsburgh.

This is the fifth suspension of his 628-game NHL career, third in two seasons and longest to date. He was ejected for intent to injure Stützle after the two squared off for a faceoff late in the second period.

While Stützle was bent over the dot, Hartman pushed Stützle’s down and his helmet flew off as he hit the ice. Stützle was bleeding, with a cut near his left eye.

Hartman was assessed a match penalty, and the Senators scored three times on the ensuing five-minute power play in the third period.

In a video explanation for the suspension, the NHL Department of Player Safety mentioned Hartman took his hand off his stick, put his forearm on the back of Stützle’s head and used his body weight to “intentionally drive Stützle downward, slamming him face-first into the ice.”

The video went on to include that Hartman contended he was trying to use his hand to regain his balance while using Stützle for support and that their fall to the ice was accidental, but the league disagreed, calling the sequence dangerous, unacceptable and faulting Hartman for taking advantage of a vulnerable player.

Earlier in the game, Hartman had been penalized for roughing Stützle, who was also whistled for slashing Hartman. But the Wild were dealt an extra penalty because Hartman was called for embellishment; he fell to the ice after the slash.

“You gotta remain competitive and play on the edge and bring what you bring as a player,” coach John Hynes said. “But sometimes you gotta take a deep breath, too, and try to do the right thing.”

Hartman is expected to address the media Tuesday.

According to the collective bargaining agreement, players who continually violate league playing rules will be punished more severely for each new violation; factoring in Hartman’s playoff experience, the league determined he’d been suspended or fined roughly every 60 games.

As a result of the suspension, Hartman, 30, will forfeit $487,804.90 in salary. He has 48 hours to file an appeal, which would be heard by Commissioner Gary Bettman. Through 48 games, Hartman has seven goals and 10 assists.

Hartman’s hiatus begins with the Wild’s road trip finale at Boston on Tuesday when the team will “most likely” get defenseman Jonas Brodin and winger Marcus Johansson back in the lineup, Hynes said.

The Wild have three games this week before the layoff for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament featuring select NHLers from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States.

Brodin sat out the previous 12 games after blocking a shot with his right skate, while Johansson was sidelined eight games with a concussion.

To activate both players, the Wild will have to make a corresponding move to create a roster spot. In a separate transaction, the team traded former Gophers captain and Edina native Sammy Walker to Utah Hockey Club for future considerations.

“We missed them when they were out,” Hynes said of Brodin and Johansson. “Guys have continued to step up. But any time you get guys back in and you still have some of that internal competitiveness in your team for ice time, for roles, for who’s in, who’s out, I always think that’s healthy to have, and those two guys coming back certainly provides that.”

Brodin reunited with captain Jared Spurgeon on the blue line, while Johansson skated with center Marco Rossi and winger Marcus Foligno at practice Monday, which was held at Boston University’s Agganis Arena.

“Wouldn’t have been my first choice of where we could have skated,” quipped Boston College’s Matt Boldy. “But it is what it is.”

Although he didn’t play at Agganis Arena, which opened in 2005, a return to campus was still meaningful to Hynes, who played three seasons for the Terriers before suffering a career-ending neck injury as a senior.

“A lot of people here have a lot of influence on me as a young college guy and have helped me through my ranks in coaching,” he said. “So, it’s great. It’s good to be back. Great to see some people, and it means a lot in my life to be back. Special place for me.”

Hynes planned to take in the first of two Beanpot games Monday at TD Garden before the Wild take the ice there with a chance to still make this a successful trip despite coming off one of their worst displays of the season vs. Ottawa.

“That wasn’t us,” Boldy said. “It’s not who we are as a team. We all know that. We know we have to be better. So, going in there with that mindset that that’s behind us and kind of have to redeem ourselves a little bit, but we have the guys in the locker room to do it.”

Tuesday, 6 p.m., TD Garden

TV; radio: FanDuel Sports Network North; 100.3 FM

Game preview: This has been a tumultuous season for the Bruins. They fired coach Jim Montgomery after a slow start, replacing him with associate Joe Sacco on an interim basis. But Boston has still struggled, dropping six in a row Dec.31-Jan.9. A 6-3 win over the Rangers on Saturday halted a two-game slide. That victory came at home where the Bruins are 17-8-3.

Injuries: Wild LW Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) is out. Bruins D Hampus Lindholm (lower body) is out.