Tom Wilson suspended 7 games for boarding Brandon Carlo

More than 24 hours after Capitals forward Tom Wilson sent Brandon Carlo to the hospital off of a dangerous high hit, the NHL Department of Player Safety levied its punishment against the controversial winger with a lengthy rap sheet — with the league suspending Wilson for seven games, without pay, for boarding the B's defenseman on Friday night.

Under the terms of the CBA and, based on his average annual salary, Wilson will forfeit $311,781.61. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Even though the NHL Department of Player Safety offered an "in-person" hearing for Wilson — which usually opens the door for the NHL to dole out harsher sentences against guilty parties — it was far from a guarantee that the league was going to throw the book at Wilson. Even though he was handed four suspensions in the span of 13 months due to multiple dangerous hits, Wilson entering this hearing no longer considered a "repeat offender" — given that he’d gone more than 18 months without discipline by the league. Add in the fact that the basis for the hearing was "boarding" and not anything more concrete like an "illegal hit to the head", and there seemed to be plenty of room for interpretation from the league when it came to charting the necessary punishment for Wilson.

However, in the video explaining the suspension, the Department of Player Safety noted that Wilson's well-documented history — coupled with Carlo's injury — played a significant factor in the ruling.

“While there are aspects of this hit that may skirt the line between suspendable and not suspendable, it is the totality of the circumstances that cause this play to merit supplemental discipline," the video noted. "What separates this play from others is the direct and significant contact to a defenseless player's face and head, causing a violent impact with the glass. This is a player with a substantial disciplinary record, taking advantage of an opponent who was in a defenseless position, and doing so with significant force."