Chris VandeVelde may be suspended for elbow to head of Jonathan Toews

Chris VandeVelde will face a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Friday for his elbow to the head of Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews.

If suspended, VandeVelde’s absence from the lineup will make the impending Saturday return of Jakub Voracek a much easier decision for head coach Dave Hakstol, who had a tough choice in deciding who would come out of the lineup for Jake.

Here’s the elbow, which wasn’t great:

VandeVelde has never been suspended at the NHL level, but was once in the AHL. Toews wasn’t hurt on the play, but I wouldn’t be shocked if this ended in suspension.