The NHL’s Department of Player Safety is facing harsh criticism an overwhelming majority of agents saying the current disciplinary system is broken.

The Athletic conducted a poll of NHL player agents between March 29 and April 9 asking whether the Department of Player Safety is working in its current form and strategy. The results saw 13 of 19 agents said no, five said “sort of,” and only one agent gave an unqualified yes.

One agent pulled no punches when discussing the effectiveness of current disciplinary measures.

“It’s not stopping players from doing this stupid s**t, those kinds of suspensions that Gudas got,” the agent said. “So is it working? No, because you’re still having these issues.”

Such comments come in the wake of frustration over inconsistent rulings and suspensions that many believe fail to deter dangerous plays. Perhaps no incident highlighted these concerns more than defenseman Radko Gudas receiving a five-game suspension for a knee-on-knee hit that ended Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews’ season last month.

Multiple agents pointed to a lack of consistency as the Department’s fundamental flaw. One agent expressed frustration at the unpredictability of rulings.

“There isn’t enough consistency in what we could believe could be a suspendable offense,” the agent said. “Certain things happen, and you can’t say that’s automatically a two-game because if someone else does it, then it’s not. I don’t feel there’s complete consistency on their rulings.”

Another agent echoed this concern about the wide disparity in punishments for similar infractions.

“Lack of consistency. One guy will get $2,500 for a slash and the next guy gets three games,” the agent said. “Let’s just hold everyone to the same standard.”

The perception that star players receive preferential treatment also came up as a significant concern. One agent suggested that the league’s biggest names often escape with lighter penalties than lesser-known players would receive for identical plays.

Calls for independent oversight amind NHL Department of Player Safety concerns

Given the widespread dissatisfaction with the current system, at least one agent proposed a radical restructuring of how supplementary discipline is handled in the NHL.

“We need an independent group, jointly selected by the league and Players Association, completely independent of the league and Gary Bettman, to handle supplementary discipline,” the agent said.

The suggestion would remove disciplinary decisions from the league’s direct control theoretically eliminating conflicts of interest and the perception that the Department operates with bias toward protecting star players or maintaining the league’s image.

Such a change would be a change in how the NHL handles player safety, similar to how some professional leagues have moved toward independent arbitration for certain disputes. However, it would of course depend on whether the league or the NHLPA would support such a restructuring.