Sonny Milano & A.J. Greer have officially been charged by the NYPD.

I can not even imagine the level of frustration fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets are experiencing this offseason, and things have just gotten a lot worse.

Earlier this morning we reported on an alleged incident that took place in New York City during the early hours of Sunday morning, an incident in which Columbus Blue Jackets forward Sonny Milano and Colorado Avalanche forward A.J. Greer were accused of attacking another man. It has been alleged that the two rival players had been frequenting the Chelsea nightclub "1 Oak" prior to an altercation taking place. That altercation is believed to have occurred after a dispute over a bill from that very same venue. The brawl however did not take place in the venue but instead in an apartment on W. Houston Street near Sullivan Street in Greenwich Village at about 6:30 a.m. It was there that the two NHL players reportedly got into a brawl with an unidentified 28 year old man, this in spite of the fact that the bill had already been paid an hour earlier. Presumably the dispute was over who owed how much although that is purely speculation on my part at this time. 

The two players are being accused of assaulting the man who reportedly suffered injuries to his jaw, ribs, neck and bicep. The full details of those injuries are unknown at this time but the injuries to his jaw and ribs are being described merely as "pain" so I would presume that those two are not serious, although again that is speculative at this time.

What we do know for certain now is that they have formally been charged by the New York Police Department, although it sounds like in spite of the fact that they injured the alleged victim that they will be looking at very light punishments. According to a report from Columbus Blue Jackets insider Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, the two men have been charged with third degree assault. Third degree assault is only a misdemeanor and given the wealth and the disposal of both men, as well as their various connections due to their association with the NHL and their respective organizations, I would be surprised if they got much more than a slap on the wrist from this. 

Stay tuned for more details.