Report: Kings forward Jordan Nolan will avoid an NHL suspension for Sunday hit

Late-breaking news from Bob McKenzie of TSN: Kings forward Jordan Nolan will not face an NHL suspension for his hit that knocked Rusty Klesla out of Sunday night’s exhibition game in Glendale, Ariz. Klesla was taken from the ice on a stretcher and later taken to a nearby hospital for tests. He was diagnosed with a concussion and a case of whiplash, according to a reporter for the Arizona Republic newspaper.

The league reviewed video of the hit and apparently won’t impose supplementary discipline, McKenzie wrote on his Twitter account Monday. Nolan was not penalized for the hit, but was sent to the box after an ensuing scuffle.

Predictably, views of the hit were mixed. “It was a good hit,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said during a post-game chat with reporters in Arizona. Nolan also said he believed it to be a clean hit. Said Coyotes coach Dave Tippett: “It seemed to me like a guy got hit in the head, and a player left his feet. But that’s not for me to diagnose. The league does a good job on those and when they feel like there’s a violation committed they take action.”

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