Will the Ducks, NHL decide to suspend Clayton Stoner?

Protestors have been turning up the heat on the Anaheim Ducks for not handing down punishment on Clayton Stoner.

With his trial just a couple weeks away, it's fair to start to wonder if the Ducks, or the National Hockey League, are going to issue any type of punishment.

The defenseman is scheduled for a hearing November 13 in conjunction with the unlawful killing a grizzly bear. He has been charged “under British Columbia’s Wildlife Act with two counts of knowingly making a false statement to obtain a hunting license and one count each of hunting out of season, hunting without a license and unlawfully possessing dead wildlife,” CBS Los Angeles explained via the Vancouver Sun. 

Up to this point, neither the NHL nor the Ducks themselves have issued any type of disciplinary action. But pressure to do so has mounted with animal rights activists showing up at Honda Center for the Ducks' home opener, and PETA sending a letter to Ducks’ GM Bob Murray asking them to suspend Stoner for the whole season.

Per ESPN, PETA’s letter calls Stoner’s actions an insult to all living things, not just members of the animal kingdom:

"Mr. Stoner has shown himself to be a bad role model and a man who lacks empathy and compassion. By suspending him, you'd send the clear message that bullying and abusing any individual is not tolerated by your organization."

They are also asking that Stoner have to take “empathy courses” akin to classes that Michael Vick took after being convicted of illegal dogfighting.

While the Ducks have not commented on the issue as of late, it is fair to wonder whether the issue surrounding Stoner has become a big enough off-ice distraction that Anaheim, or the NHL, might feel inclined to issue some sort of punishment prior to a trial getting underway.

Then again, off-ice investigations into players doesn’t necessarily lead to suspension. Chicago Blackhawks’ forward Patrick Kane is the most current example, as he has continued play with the team despite an on-going sexual assault investigation and vocal jeering from opposing fanbases.

For the time-being, we will have to wait to see what the Ducks decide to do.