By Daniel Sanford, Contributing Writer

Controversy arose from the National Hockey League Monday morning as they announced they had suspended Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt 20 games for testing positive for an illegal substance they classified as a performance-enhancing drug (PED). The substance he tested positive for has not and likely will not be made public, due to a collective bargaining agreement clause with the NHL Players Association.

Schmidt, who is currently 27 years of age, appealed the suspension to an arbitrator, claiming that the supplements he took, supplied to him by his team, were accidentally tainted with the substance without the knowledge of him nor the team. When his suspension was upheld, Schmidt, his team and his personal agent actively protested. His agent Matt Keator called it a “wrong decision” in a statement. Following his suspension, Schmidt released a personally-composed statement expressing his disappointment.

According to Schmidt’s statement, the amount of the substance he tested positive for was miniscule. Specifically, he mentioned that “...one of the experts in environmental contamination who testified on my behalf at the appeal hearing described the amount of the substance found in my system - seven billionths of a milligram/mL - as the equivalent of a pinch of salt in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.” Schmidt also said that another expert tested a sample of his hair and concluded that Schmidt did not take the substance intentionally.

Perhaps his most emphasized point, however, was “While I support having a strong Performance Enhancing Substances Program in place ... I do not agree with the suspension and I will not accept being labelled a cheater.” Though he did not clarify if any of these experts agreed with the statement, he also claims that the substance that he inadvertently ingested was “...at a level that was far too small to have any effect.”

The Golden Knights organization stood with Schmidt, affirming their belief that the presence of the substance was “...accidental and unintentional.” Former teammate TJ Oshie noted the entire situation as a string of bad luck in saying “That’s the nightmare of trying to be healthy and take supplements is something gets tainted in a warehouse that no one would ever have any idea how it happened.”

Like many members of the Golden Knights this past season, Schmidt had a career-best finish in point totals, scoring five goals and 31 assists for a total of 36 points. This was over double his previous record of 17 points that he scored with his former team, the Washington Capitals, who defeated the Knights in last year’s Stanley Cup Finals.

Schmidt played 76 of 82 regular season games last year, and this year, he will be limited to a maximum of 62. Of course, this is only if he is healthy the full season. The Golden Knights’ blueline could look bleak for the first month and a half, until Nov. 18, when Schmidt is scheduled to return against the Edmonton Oilers.

While the Knights’ top defensive pairing is still solid, their second pair now forces Deryk Engelland into the second pair. Also, their seventh-man Jon Merrill, who struggled last season, will now be seeing regular NHL action for the first quarter of the season alongside Nick Holden, who just signed with the Knights in free agency.

If the Golden Knights can keep their heads above water until Schmidt returns, theoretically, they should be fine. Whether intentional or not, the Golden Knights face an additional challenge when this coming season begins.