HALIFAX - There is at least a glimmer of bright light in the Clarke MacArthur darkness.

MacArthur was back at Canadian Tire Centre on Monday, going through tests after suffering yet another concussion following a borderline hit by defence prospect Patrick Sieloff during Sunday’s intrasquad game.

“It’s as good as we can hope right now,” head coach Guy Boucher said before the team left for Halifax and an exhibition game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Boucher, who spoke to MacArthur, says he’s experiencing “normal” concussion symptoms, but labelled it as a “positive” that the left winger was well enough to be at the arena.

“We’re very cautious, obviously, because we know his history,” said Boucher. “It’s about health first, person first. Because of the history, we’re obviously going to be very cautious with the protocol (proceeding) day by day.”

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As devastating as the hit was on MacArthur, Boucher was trying to lessen the hatred toward Sieloff.

The coach says that Sieloff, as a young player, didn’t have an understanding of MacArthur’s concussion history. In trying to make an “aggressive” statement in his bid to make an impression, Sieloff didn’t let up the way a veteran more familiar with MacArthur’s history might have been.

“He wasn’t targeting anybody in particular,” Boucher said. “Should he know, could he know? That’s always a question. That’s just the process of a young guy trying to make it. I’m sure he’s the first guy to realize the next time around, he will want to be cautious with certain individuals.

“We’re not going to point fingers at the young guy right now. He’s going to be part of the organization. He might be called up (from the American Hockey League) in a few weeks, he might make the team at some point. What’s important is we manage this without the emotion.”

Boucher called the hit aggressive, but he says defencemen are being asked to play aggressively in similar situations. He also says it’s not uncommon in the modern NHL.

“It is a play that’s going to happen regularly during the season,” he said. “Whether it’s about the defenceman or the forward having to protect (himself), you see it happen often.”