Rumor: NHL Player Safety has ruled on Ryan Reaves' hit to Ryan Suter.

The Las Vegas Golden Knights advanced beyond the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Friday when they defeated the Minnesota Wild in Game 7 of their series, but it was not a win that was free of controversy.

Although the score was eventually quite lopsided, while the game was still very close during the second period Minnesota Wild star defenseman Ryan Suter was injured when he was struck from behind by Golden Knights enforcer Ryan Reaves. The impact from Reaves sent Suter head first into the goal post and left him down on the ice for several long moments, and no doubt left his brain more than a little rattled after the fact.

If you missed the hit, you can see it below:

Fans in Minnesota were quite understandably frustrated at how the entire situation played out and Minnesota Wild insider Mike Russo went so far as to suggest that it was a "disgusting" hit, although I would argue that this characterization goes a little too far.

If you were hoping to see the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety step in and hand down some discipline on Reaves however it now sounds like you will be disappointed. According to a report from Colorado Avalanche insider Adrian Dater, his sources have informed him that there will be no hearing for Reaves following the hit on Suter. 

That may come as a surprise to many given how the Department of Player Safety has been pretty harsh when it comes to head injuries in these playoffs, however I suspect that I may know why they have made this decision. If you look closely at how the play develops, Reaves appears to be moving towards the loose puck when Suter appears to cut in front of him, resulting in the collision between the two men. Reaves does get his hands up as he has the benefit of seeing Suter coming, but I do think it would be relatively easy for Reaves, the Golden Knights, and even the NHLPA to argue that this was incidental contact rather than a deliberate attempt to deal a dirty hit to a vulnerable player.

At the end of the day only Reaves himself knows whether or not that was indeed the case.