Brandon Hagel’s postseason came to an abrupt end in Game 4 of the Lightning’s first-round series against the Florida Panthers, and now the extent of what happened is clear.

Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois confirmed on Friday at the team’s Exit Interviews that Brandon Hagel suffered a concussion on the hit from Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

Ekblad landed a hit to the head and neck area of Hagel, who fell with around 8 minutes left in the second period. Ekblad was not penalized during the game and Hagel was not able to return due to injury. The Panthers defenseman later went on to score, with Florida winning 4-2 and taking a 3-1 series lead.

“It's tough because you’ve only got one of these up here,” Hagel said while pointing to his head. “I don't think anyone's usually going out there purposely trying to injure someone. I thought that was the case on myself, which sucked.”

“I could have played with a broken arm, I could have played with a bad knee, I could have played with a bad foot, but you only have one head."

Ekblad, who was playing in just his second game back from a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, avoided a penalty on the play but was suspended by the league the following day. He will miss Game 1 of the Panthers’ second-round series against the Maple Leafs as a result.

“Two games to purposely hurt someone's head?.. For me that’s as purposeful as you could possibly see a headshot, to say the least,” said Hagel.

The hit on Hagel raised several questions — from player safety to officiating accountability. The series between the Lightning and Panthers featured several borderline hits, some of which were either missed or inconsistently penalized by officials.

Hagel also said there was no indication from the Panthers that he was being targeted, nor any warning that retaliation might be coming.

"The most frustrating part to me is, I think hockey is the best sport in the entire world, the way it's played and the honesty and the respect for a lot of the players, it's as competitive as it gets on the ice,” said Hagel.

“You have those unwritten rules...I'm a pretty honest player. They didn't say a single word to me. I would have answered the bell if someone would have said, 'Let's fight.' I don't care if I would have got my ass kicked. I have to respond to a situation. I understood it was the case.”

Hagel referenced an earlier play involving Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, clarifying his own intent during the collision.

“Barkov is one of their top players. Did I mean to do it that egregiously with him not touching the puck? In my opinion, if he touches the puck, I think it's as clean of a hit as it gets. That wasn't the case. And that's not how I saw it going into the hit… But if you’re going to go for someone’s head? Phew — something's coming for ya.”