Florida Panthers forward A.J. Greer is facing a suspension of up to five games for boarding Connor Zary of the Calgary Flames after being summoned for a hearing by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

The hearing will be conducted by phone Sunday.

With the player safety department under an increased level of public scrutiny, and given the fact Zary was sent dangerously sliding headfirst into the boards by the hit, there was some question about whether Greer would be the first NHL player offered an in-person hearing during the 2025-26 season.

Players can be suspended for as many as five games after a phone hearing, per the terms of the CBA. Any suspension longer than that requires an in-person hearing.

Greer received an interference major, hooking minor and game misconduct at 11:14 of the third period of Friday’s game in Calgary after boarding Zary. He was tracking the Flames player from behind and looking directly at his number when he shoved him in the back a few feet out from the boards.

Zary immediately grabbed at his neck, left the game and didn’t return. There was no official update on his status after Calgary’s 4-1 win.

Greer, who was previously suspended one game for cross-checking in March 2023, drew sharp criticism for the dangerous nature of the hit. That included a post on X from Jack Jablonski, who was paralyzed from the chest down after being hit from behind during a Minnesota high school hockey game in December 2011.

The Greer hearing comes at a time when the player safety department is facing external questions about its effectiveness.

Agent Judd Moldaver called a five-game suspension given to Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas on March 13 “laughable and preposterous” after a kneeing incident that ended the season of his client, Auston Matthews. Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid told reporters last weekend that the process for handing out NHL discipline needed to be reviewed, adding “there is a lot of frustration from the player side,” and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby told reporters in Pittsburgh on Friday that “there seems to be some inconsistencies” with rulings.

Amid the criticism, George Parros defended his department during a rare media availability at the general managers’ meeting earlier this week.

“We have a process in place that we feel confident in,” he said. “We’ve been doing it a long time. We sweat over these decisions and pore over these decisions every night all season long.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also came to the defense of Parros and his staff: “George always takes criticism. Most of it unfair.”