Every few seasons or so, the NHL gets a new villain.
A few years back, it was Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals. Before that, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins was the most despised player in the NHL. Now, a familiar face has taken the crown: Radko Gudas of the Anaheim Ducks.
Nicknamed "the Butcher", Gudas is known for pulverizing, controversial hits that often result in injury or suspension -- sometimes both. Recently, Gudas cut Auston Matthews' season short with a knee-on-knee collision. Gudas, in turn, earned himself a five game suspension.
Some Detroit Red Wings fans may look at the 35-year-old defenseman and see grit and toughness. It's clear the Red Wings need to be harder to play against, but signing a guy like Gudas with his history of suspensions isn't worth it.
Gudas has a long history of injuring other players
This most recent suspension isn't the first time Gudas has been punished, nor is it the first time he's intentionally injured his opponents. Radko Gudas has been suspended five times throughout his career, missing 26 total games:
Year | Reason | Suspension |
|---|---|---|
2015 | 3 games | |
2016 | Interference on Austin Czarnik | 6 games |
2017 | Slashing Mathieu Perrault on the neck | 10 games |
2019 | High-sticking Nikita Kucherov | 2 games |
2026 | Knee-on-knee collision with Auston Matthews | 5 games |
Total | 5 suspensions | 26 games |
It's one thing to be suspended once or twice, but to do so five times throughout your career while intentionally injuring your opponents is just bad sportsmanship. Gudas is one of the most suspended players in NHL history, trailing behind Evander Kane, Brad Marchand, Tom Wilson and Nazem Kadri.
A suspension is bad enough, but the game misconducts that follow put any team Gudas plays for in a hole. It forces the penalty kill to play long shifts and hamstrings the team's offense. A game misconduct can be the difference between a one-goal lead and a point that might otherwise get you in the playoffs.
But Gudas's long, long history of suspensions isn't the only reason the Red Wings should avoid signing him.
Gudas doesn't move the needle
Gudas played an average of 16:11 a night while managing 13 points in 56 games. His 164 hits last season were second among all Ducks behind Ross Johnston. Had he played on the Red Wings, he would have been third in hits behind Ben Chiarot (170) and Marco Kasper (186). While hits can help to shift momentum, there's little else to be said about Gudas's game that would move the needle for the Red Wings.
He doesn't score enough to provide additional offense to the Red Wings. At 35 years of age, he isn't capable of keeping up with faster NHLers. To top it all off, his low ice time suggests that he isn't trusted by coaching to handle tougher assignments.
Where would Gudas play on the Red Wings? The third pairing, where Albert Johansson would need to work overtime to cover the gaps in his game? According to AFP Analytics, Gudas is up for a one-year, $2M contract. While not a particularly risky signing, couldn't the Red Wings find younger, faster help at a much better rate?
It just doesn't make sense at this point in the Red Wings' timeline to sign Gudas at any level whatsoever.
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