Brutal Blow

By Mike Rifkin

It was announced on Thursday that Tampa Bay Lightning Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent back surgery and will miss the season’s first two months. Vasilevskiy is the best goalie in the World, and the one guy the Lightning could not afford to lose. 

Over the last five seasons, Vasilevskiy has a record of 178-75-20 with a 2.48 Goals Against Average and a .919 save percentage. He’s played in 270 games, which only trails Connor Hellebuyck. But these stats don’t include the 77 playoff games he’s played since 2019, including leading the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cups and three consecutive final appearances. 

Because the Lightning is to remain compliant with the salary cap, it seems unlikely that they could trade for a goalie. They better have their fingers crossed that it is only two months since Vasilevskiy is out. But the real kicker is the Atlantic Division is better, and you want to avoid getting buried in the standings early in the season. The Lightning are a battle-tested team, and while they’ll miss Vasilevskiy (who wouldn’t), they’ll remain in the race and ready to go upon his return.