Rielly's star teammate Auston Matthews is no stranger to this process, and while he's never been hit with a major suspension, he has opened up on his dealings with the Department of Player Safety.
Whether or not this was true from Matthews, it would certainly come as no surprise, as the NHL's DoPS has long been criticized for being incredibly inconsistent, with more than one player commenting on their perceived bias.
We are yet to see just how the famed Toronto bias will play into this Rielly hearing, but if any part of Matthews' comments are true, then this will be a very interesting result.
Ultimately, Matthews may not believe Rielly is a malicious player, but his actions were very over the top, and this comment can certainly be perceived as a way for him to gain sympathy for his teammate, so we will see how this plays out.