Lightning’s Erik Cernak recovered from concussion, eager to contribute
BRANDON — It took Erik Cernak a long time to get over it.
Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting not only knocked Cernak out of the playoffs with an illegal hit to the head in Game 1 of last season’s opening-round series, he left the Lightning defenseman dealing with concussion symptoms well after the season ended.
What stung Cernak most was having to watch his teammates lose the series without him.
“Obviously, that was hard, because it’s playoff time,” Cernak said. “You want to help your team, and when you get hurt it just kind of sucks for you especially and for the team, because you can’t go out there, you can’t help them. You are just watching the game, and you’re not producing anything there.
“So, it was hard for me, but I feel like everybody around me in the organization, my teammates, coaching staff, trainers, everybody was so supportive.”
At the time, Cernak’s teammates were angry that Bunting’s suspension was just three games, allowing him to return for Game 6 while Cernak remained sidelined. (Bunting was a healthy scratch for Game 5.)
However, Cernak, speaking about it for the first time earlier this preseason, said he had no feelings about Bunting’s suspension.
“I don’t care,” he said. “I didn’t care about him or his suspension. I just cared that I could not help my team.”
The early playoff exit gave Cernak and his teammates more time to heal and rest this offseason. The 26-year-old is healthy again and back on the ice looking to build on what may have been his best season to date.
In 2022-23, Cernak played a career-high 70 games, scoring two goals and compiling 16 points. But Cernak, 6-feet-4, 224 pounds, isn’t measured by highlight-reel stats. He does the hard, physical work in the corners and in front of the Lightning net. More telling: his career-high 100 blocked shots and 209 hits last season.
That is the play the Lightning missed most when Cernak was out of their lineup.
“Everybody likes to score. But there are guys that are invaluable in how they keep pucks out of the net, how hard they are to play against,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “Every team’s got some superstars, some offensive guys. Everybody likes to navigate their way around the offensive zone, but when you have guys like Cernak out there, everybody’s got kind of one eye looking for him.
“So, you love to have those guys. He’s hard. He’s heavy. He’s big, and he’s strong. He kills penalties, and when you go to the playoffs and you start losing guys like that, it’s going to cause a trickle-down effect. And so it’s great to see him back and healthy.”
Cernak spent time in his native Slovakia during the offseason and returned to Tampa Bay to join the informal team skates a month before camp opened. He not only is recovered fully from the concussion, he is becoming comfortable in his growing role on and off the ice in his sixth NHL season.
“I feel like the longer you are in the league you know your spot, you know your role, and you know what you are doing on the ice better, especially positioning,” he said. “You kind of understand the game much more than before, and that’s what’s helpful and you’re just trying to be better every game.
“Now this year, of course, I just feel like I have probably more, like, the role of the leader. I should know and try to help everybody. I am trying to be the guy who the younger guys are following, and it’s just nice to be in that position. I’m just working harder every single day, doing my best to be better in my roles.”
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