Insider slams Player Safety for not protecting players.

A prominent National Hockey League insider is publicly challenging the league's Department of Player Safety.

On Sunday, New York Rangers insider Larry Brooks published his latest Slap Shots column for the New York Post and it was inside of that column that the veteran reporter slammed George Parros and company. Brooks took Player Safety to task over the fact that Rangers defenseman Erik Gustafsson was knocked out of the lineup after taking an elbow to the head that was never penalized.

From Brooks:

I guess Erik Gustafsson isn’t important enough for George Parros and the NHL Department of Player Safety to protect.

Brooks takes issue with the fact that Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart got away scott free after he delivered a pretty stiff elbow to the head of Gustafsson. Here's a look at the play in question:

While I would like to believe that Reinhart simply lost his balance and did not intend to strike Gustafsson in the head with his elbow, there's no denying that he was a bit reckless on the play. Whether or not you think that rises to the level of a suspension or fine will be up to your interpretation, but it's clear that Brooks feels the Department of Player Safety has dropped the ball on its most important mandate, protecting the players.