Paul Cotter is now facing a suspension for the hit that left Adam Pelech’s face a mess.

This one will likely result in some controversy given that there was already some debate raging about this incident from earlier today.

During a clash between the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders on Sunday, Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech was on the receiving end of a hit from Devils forward Paul Cotter, a hit that unquestionably caught Pelech up high and in the head.

As a result of the infraction, Cotter was ejected from the game but there were those who felt that the hit should not have resulted in a game misconduct. While there’s no debating that Cotter made contact with the head, some felt that Pelech put himself in a vulnerable position with his head stuck about as far out from his body as possible at the moment of impact with Cotter.

Here’s a look at the replay of the hit:

Much to his credit, Cotter immediately tried to apologize for the hit but Pelech was having none of it, screaming at Cotter from across the ice as a crimson streak made its way down his face. In the short clip below you can see the response from Pelech and it wasn’t pretty.

Regardless of the debate raging on social media over whether or not this should have been a game misconduct, it seems clear that the National Hockey League felt more discipline was warranted. Very quickly after the hit, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that Cotter would face a hearing for his actions during today’s game. This likely means that Cotter is headed for a suspension, although how long that suspension will be will depend on a variety of factors.

If I had to guess, the league will argue that contact with Pelech’s head was avoidable in this scenario and therefore the onus was on Cotter to pull up and avoid that contact. I am of course only speculating, and we will have to wait for the league’s official ruling on Monday to know more.