Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to miss the first two months of the NHL season after undergoing back surgery.
The team announced the stunning injury news Thursday, midway through training camp and with opening night less than two weeks away.
General manager Julien BriseBois said Vasilevskiy had a successful microdiscectomy to address a lumbar disk herniation. The recovery could sideline arguably the best goalie in the world for 25 or more games.
No one played more hockey from August 2020 through the end of the playoffs last season than Vasilevskiy, who was on the ice for just over 14,769 minutes of game action. He said after the series defeat to Toronto he struggled with a heavy workload.
Despite a salary cap crunch, Vasilevskiy’s absence could push the Lightning to make a trade or sign a free agent, given their tight contending window. Journeyman Jonas Johansson, 22-year-old Hugo Alnefelt and Matt Tomkins — Canada’s 2022 Olympic starter who has never played in the NHL — are the only other goaltenders Tampa Bay has under contract.