Jacob Trouba only fined $5,000 for taking baseball swing at Trent Frederic's head

BOSTON -- The realm of NHL discipline is a strange, strange place. But this one may be the strangest one yet.

The NHL's department of player safety reviewed video of Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba taking a full two-hand swing with his stick and hitting Bruins forward Trent Frederic directly in the head. The NHL's department of player safety then ... decided to issue a $5,000 fine to the Rangers' captain for the offense.

While the fine may have been the maximum allowed under the CBA in this case, many were left wondering why a two-handed baseball swing at an opponent's head would not warrant a suspension.

Watching the play, it's easy to see why:

It was Marty McSorley, only with a bigger windup.

The key difference, though, was that Frederic wasn't left injured. So Trouba was issued a fine that amounts to .06 percent of his $8 million salary.

Still, by only issuing a fine, the NHL department of player safety has set the precedent that a wild swing of a stick at an opponent's head will only bring about a slap on the wrist for the offending party.

That's wild. But again, when it comes to the NHL's disciplinary decisions, we've come to expect nothing less.