The league's concussion spotters and NHL Department of Player Safety need to answer for how the situation involving Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz and Panthers forward Sam Bennett was mismanaged.
In the second period of Game 1 between Toronto and Florida, Bennett crashed the net hard hitting Stolarz in the head with his elbow. The goalie immediately went down clutching his head. Ultimately, Stolarz left the arena on a stretcher to get emergency treatment, and was released from the hospital Tuesday morning.
The Maple Leafs let Stolarz remain in the game for several more minutes following the collision until he was forced to return to the bench to throw up. That's one of the major signs of a head injury, according to the Mayo Clinic, who caution that "if a concussion is suspected, experts recommend not returning to activities that can put the athlete at risk of another concussion."
Earlier in the game, Stolarz took a hard shot to the mask, knocking off his helmet. He didn't appear to be shaken up on the play, but the hit from Bennett could have exacerbated any issue that may have occurred when the puck hit him in the mask.
The NHL's official rules require that a player is removed from the game for a medical exam after receiving a blow to the head of any kind, if the player meets certain conditions.
The visible signs they check for are lying motionless on the ice, balance problems, a blank or vacant expression, or being slow to get up. The league breaks it down further, saying it's mandatory to pull the skater if they are slow to get up following "a blow to the Player's head or upper torso from another Player's shoulder", if their head hits the ice, or if the hit is a result of a punch during a fight.
If the player struggles to get up for any other reason, the NHL leaves the discretion up to the team's medical staff whether to leave the player in the game. Clearly, that's what happened in this case, and staff did not act quickly enough in pulling Stolarz.
Not only was there a grevious oversight in leaving Stolarz in danger of worsening a potential head injury, but Bennett will not be facing any supplemental discipline for the play. He did not receive a penalty in the game, either.
The problem with this hit is that Stolarz was firmly in the blue paint, and Bennett shoved his way in to get closer, which is where the contact happened. The goalie wasn't interfering with the play, nor was he particularly far out of the net, but defending the crease in a very typical manner.
Intent really doesn't matter here, and there's no way of knowing whether it was purposeful on Bennett's part. As a player knowing you're headed into the goalie's territory, you have to be more responsible to avoid contact.
It happens all the time: players crash the net hard while controlling the puck, and can't stop in time to prevent themselves from hitting the goaltender. It sometimes results in a penalty, but more often than not is just considered incidental contact.
It's vastly different for a skater who doesn't have any forward momentum or a significant amount of speed to catch a goalie in a vulnerable spot. Bennett was aware of where Stolarz was positioned and still did nothing to prevent hitting him in a dangerous way.
It's also worth considering that Bennett has a history with the NHLDPS. He was suspended for one game after boarding Blake Coleman in the 2021 playoffs, then for three games in 2022 for a hit to the head against Cedric Paquette. That's not to mention the controversial hits that escaped any serious discipline: he was fined $5,000 for a cross check to Michael Bunting in the 2023 playoffs, and avoided any punishment for punching Brad Marchand in last year's postseason.
Stolarz has not been ruled out to return to the series, but it would leave the Maple Leafs without a phenomenal goaltender. His regular season save percentage of .926% was the best in the league among goalies with at least 25 starts, and his 2.14 GAA was third-best behind only Connor Hellebuyck and Darcy Kuemper.
The NHL needs to do better in protecting its players, and it will be seriously unfortunate if Stolarz goes down for any amount of time following this incident.