Brad Marchand has already served his time for an egregious and unnecessary elbow to the head of Devils forward Marcus Johansson.
The 29-year-old Marchand has found a way to thrive since the ban, too, with 12 goals and 30 points in 22 games since returning to the B's lineup, and with talk of him being a legitimate MVP candidate. The same cannot be said for Johansson, who took his first steps towards a potential return Monday, skating in his first practice since suffering a concussion on Jan. 23.
And Johansson did not hold back when asked for his thoughts on the incident.
"It was stupid. There's nothing else to say about it. There was no point in doing that. " Johansson, absent from the Jersey lineup for the last 28 games, said. "There was no hockey play there whatsoever. I think it's sad to see that there's still guys out there that are trying to hurt other guys. I think there's nothing else to say about it.
"It's sad, it's stupid. I hope it doesn't come to him ending someone else's career before it's enough. That's not why we play the game. I think there's always situations where you try and hit someone and you try to make a hockey play, and things can go wrong. Then there are plays like this, that has nothing to do with hockey. So it's sad to see, and I guess I'm unfortunate to be on the receiving end of that."
Unsurprisingly, Johansson did not agree with the length of the suspension Marchand, an undeniable repeat offender, was given by the NHL Department of Player Safety.
"Ah, Not really, considering it was the ninth time he got suspended or fined," Johansson said when asked if the length was long enough. "That's all I can say. Trying to put that behind me, and I just want to get back to feeling normal again and that's all I can do."
The Bruins and Devils do not meet again this season, but have a slight chance at meeting in the first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs should the Devils secure the second wild card spot and the Bruins overtake the Lightning for first in the Atlantic.
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