Josh Manson Takes Max Fine for Butt-End Shot: What the Avs Star Did in Game 4

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson got hit with the heaviest penalty the league can throw at him on Tuesday. The NHL slapped him with a $5,000 fine, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, for butt-ending Minnesota Wild forward Michael McCarron during Monday night's Game 4 playoff matchup.

The incident went down in the first period as the Avs dominated their way to a 5-2 victory. Manson appeared to jam the butt end of his stick into McCarron's neck area while the two were tangled up on the ice. The refs caught it immediately, handing Manson a double minor right there on the spot.

Manson's Comeback Game Turns Messy

Here's the thing that makes this interesting: Manson was making his first appearance since April 23 after missing time with an upper-body injury. You'd think a guy coming back from the shelf would play it cool, but instead he drew this penalty on his return. The Avs are up 3-1 in the Western Conference second-round series, so they can afford to have their defense locked in, not racking up disciplinary issues.

McCarron didn't hold back after the play either. "He's a dirty player. He's always been," he told ESPN during a break in the action. "Surprised he got away with a four-minute penalty." So yeah, not exactly a great look for Manson, even if the refs put a stop to it with the double minor.

Still Productive When He's Playing

For what it's worth, Manson has been solid in limited action this postseason. He's got two assists and eight penalty minutes across four games so far. In the regular season, he put up 31 points on five goals and 26 assists over 79 games, though he also piled up 91 penalty minutes, so the penalty issues aren't exactly new.

The Avs have Game 5 coming up and they're sitting pretty with a 3-1 series lead. But with Manson now freshly fined and under the microscope, Colorado's defense needs to stay disciplined if they want to close this thing out clean.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.