Andrei Vasilevskiy undergoes surgery, will miss significant time

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Liam
September 28, 2023 (2:34 PM)

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Moments ago, NHL insider Kevin Weekes broke shocking news that Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has just undergone successful back surgery, and will miss significant time to begin the season.

Halfway through training camp with opening night rosters beginning to take shape, this is a shocking development for the Lightning. Their roster already is beginning to take steps back from their championship era a few years ago, and losing Vasilevskiy for a significant stretch could seriously harm the team.

Vasilevskiy is expected to miss 8-10 weeks as a result of the surgery. Jonas Johansson, signed this offseason as the expected backup, will likely get the majority of starts to begin the season. Johansson has struggled greatly in the NHL, only appearing in 35 games at age 28, posting a 3.32 GAA and a .887 save percentage.

Hopefully, Tampa's team strength can overcome the absence of their star goaltender to keep them in what could become an extremely competitive race for playoff spots in the Atlantic division.

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