Toronto Maple Leafs star Jason Spezza was hit with a six-game suspension after a dirty hit on Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk, but he is planning to appeal.

In the third period of Sunday's game, Pionk injured Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin with a knee-on-knee hit and eventually received a two-game suspension for that. But Spezza responded, putting a knee right into Pionk's face. Take a look:

https://twitter.com/HockeyHoundShow/status/1468395237378772994

According to sources close to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, Spezza is appealing but if he loses, the veteran will forfeit $22,500 of his salary. The Maple Leafs centre is in the twilight days of his career, but he's still proving to be a key piece of a Toronto team who are battling for top spot in the Atlantic Division. The 38-year-old has notched seven goals and 11 points in total in 26 games, playing mostly on the fourth line.

The Maple Leafs should fare just fine without him, but the Jets will definitely miss Pionk, who has emerged as one of their best defensemen this season. If Spezza serves the entire six-game suspension, he will be eligible to return to action for Toronto on December 19th against struggling Seattle Kraken.

They're currently 18-7-2 on the season and are tied with the Florida Panthers on 38 points.