*Photo from DraftKings Network*
One of the big pieces in Tampa is down for a bit. Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent back surgery on Thursday and will miss at least the first two months of the season, according to the Lightning.
Vasilevskiy underwent a microdiscectomy to address a herniated lumbar disc in his back. The timeline given to Vasilevskiy keeps him out for roughly the first 20 games of the regular season. It is not expected to be a long term problem.
Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois said that "My understanding is that there's no concern long term. Once the surgery was a success, we expected him to make a full recovery and be back to his old self. The doctor's opinion was based on how powerful an athlete Andrei is and how flexible he is. If anything, those attributes will help him make a full recovery."
Before training camp, Vasilevskiy received an injection in his back to address the issue and both the player and team felt the issue was resolved. On the first day of camp, Vasilevskiy reaggravated the injury which ended up leading to the surgery.
Last season, Vasilevskiy met the 60 game threshold for the second year in a row. He ended the regular season with a 34-22-4 record with 4 shutouts. He had a .915 save percentage and 2.65 GAA in 60 games, all starts. He had a 2-4 record with a .875 save percentage and 3.56 GAA in 6 playoff games.
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said of the injury "I want everyone just to be clear on this. This isn't the end of 'Vasy's' season. He will be back. And hopefully, knowing him, it'll be sooner than later but for a short time here, we're going to have to fill the gap."
Vasilevskiy has played in 9 NHL seasons, all of which have been with the Lightning. In that time, he has racked up a 263-123-28 record to go with 238 quality starts and 32 shutouts. He's posted a 2.52 GAA and .919 save percentage in 415 starts and 425 total games. In the playoffs, Vasilevskiy has a 65-42 record with a 2.37 GAA and .921 save percentage in 105 starts and 110 games.
The upcoming season will be the 4th year of Vasilevskiy's current contract. Signed prior to the shortened 2021 season, Vasilevskiy is on an 8 year, $76 million contract, paying him $9.5 million annually. He is due a $5 million signing bonus this season and $44.5 million in signing bonuses over all 8 years. He has a full no movement clause this season.
Jonas Johansson appears poised for a larger workload, originally signed as the backup goalie. Hugo Alnefelt and Michael Tomkins are the other goalies on the roster, but neither have started a game in the NHL and have one total NHL game under their belt, with Alnefelt appearing in a game in 2021-2022.
Comments
Post a Comment