NHL's Department of Player Safety announces a surprising change to Morgan Rielly's hearing

We all knew it was coming, and on Sunday it was announced that Rielly would have an in-person hearing for his actions, which indicated that a suspension exceeding 5 games was on the way. That meeting was scheduled to happen today in New York. Now, however, due to inclement weather, the NHL has announced a change to the hearing.

The hearing will now be conducted virtually. This is convenient for George Parros, who can now mute his speakers when the Leafs attempt to plead their case or point out comparable incidents that received lesser punishments. The change will not affect the DoPS' ability to suspend Rielly for 5 or more games, which you can bet they will take advantage of.

You have to feel for Rielly here. It really does feel like he's going to get the raw end of the deal here. Even if Parros and the Department of Player Safety are assuring Rielly and the Leafs that this virtual hearing will be like any other in-person hearing, just the fact that all of the bodies are not in a room together will allow Parros and his colleagues to take full advantage of the situation and to not have to look Rielly in the eye while they screw him over. Why they didn't just opt to bump the hearing by a day or two to ensure that Rielly could be there to face Parros in person is beyond me.