The Nashville Predators obviously take the team rules very seriously because they have benched two of their top-six forwards for tonight’s game against the Phoenix Coyotes. Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn have been suspended by their own team for a unspecified team violation.
Predators GM David Poile made this announcement Tuesday morning however he would not go into detail about which rule was violated. He only stated that the team did not have many rules but the ones they have they take very seriously and Kostitsyn and Radulov didn’t respect the rules.
There is some speculation that these players broke curfew and that is why they are suspended but nothing has been confirmed. To risk being benched during the playoffs doesn’t really show much support for your team and teammates. Kostitsyn and Radulov should be taking these games seriously and sitting out doesn’t help their team in any way.
Nashville is down 2-0 in the series against the Coyotes and now they will be without two of their best players. This is a devastating blow for the Predators but they will need to pull together in order to defeat their opponents. Poile said that whether or not they play in game 4 is up to head coach Barry Trotz. Trotz said the suspension is about holding these players accountable for their actions.
