Erik Cernak reaches out to Dahlin after giving him a concussion

Tampa Bay’s Erik Cernak tells reporters he has texted Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin to see if he’s ok after elbowing him in his head earlier this week. According to Cernak, he explained to Dahlin that he didn’t mean to hit him in the head, and that he “was just trying to box him out” during the Lightning’s 5-2 win over Buffalo Monday. No word at the moment on how Dahlin responded to the explanation.

If you haven’t seen the hit yet, check it out here: 

Buffalo has announced that Dahlin is out of the lineup indefinitely as he deals with the symptoms of his injury. Concussions can be tough when it comes to a timeline for returning. It depends on how quickly the symptoms may subside, which can vary wildly from player to player and injury to injury. The loss of the 19-year-old play-making defenseman is a big one for the Sabres, especially at a time when injuries are starting to pile up. The team has also revealed that forward Vladimir Sobotka is out indefinitely after having surgery on his right knee. Dahlin has 16 points in 24 games so far this season.

As for Cernak, while he didn’t receive a penalty on the play, he has the next two games to think about his actions after being suspended by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Tampa Bay had tried to argue that Dahlin helped cause his concussion by moving the elbow toward his head with his glove. DoPS disagreed saying “It is clear to us that Cernak’s elbow is already on a trajectory where head contact is inevitable.”

Players reaching out to other players they have injured seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon in the NHL. It has become much more common in just the last two to three years. There’s a time when a player would likely have been highly ridiculed for such actions as injuries were considered the price of playing the game. That time is long gone. Expect to hear about it much more going forward.