NHL Player Safety comes down on Mat Barzal for slash on Marchment.

The National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety is getting involved after some shenanigans on Sunday night during a game between the New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets.

During the game, Islanders star forward Mathew Barzal found himself ejected from the game relatively early on when he delivered a vicious 2-handed slash to the foot of recently acquired Blue Jackets forward Mason Marchment. Not only was the blow from Barzal a nasty looking slash, it targeted a vulnerable part of Marchment's body and was also a clear cut case of retaliation.

Barzal received 5 and a game for his actions but on Monday the disciplinary arm of the NHL came down on Barzal and slapped him with an additional $5,000 fine. The fine is the maximum amount that the league can fine Barzal under the current rules of the collective bargaining agreement.

I would not have been surprised if the league had issued a suspension here, but I suspect that Marchment's own actions before the play may have served as a mitigating factor. Prior to Barzal's slash, Marchment delivered what looked to me like a deliberate trip to Islanders star rookie Matthew Schaefer, which in turn led to Barzal hunting down Marchment.

You can see the full replay of both incidents just below:

Did the league make the right call with the fine? Should Barzal have received a harsher punishment? Should he have received a lighter one? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.