The Tampa Bay Lightning announced on Thursday that goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to miss the next 8-10 weeks following successful back surgery. The announcement comes as a surprise after the star goaltender returned to practice with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.

Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois announced Vasilevskiy, a five-time NHL All-Star and the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner, underwent a successful microdiscectomy Thursday morning to repair a lumbar disc herniation.  While Vasilevskiy informed the team in August that he was having a back issue, he was feeling better after having an injection. However, during the Lightning’s first practice Vasilevskiy started feeling discomfort again.

Vasilevskiy’s absence is a significant blow to the Lightning; the 29-year-old was one of seven goalies who started more than 60 games last season and finished with a 34-22-4 record in addition to a 2.65 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.  GM BriseBois told reporters that Vasilevskiy’s absence means the Lightning will continue with the goalies they have on roster: Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins. Johansson signed a two-year contract with the Lightning this offseason, and Tomkins, who represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics, has spent the past two years playing in Sweden. He has never played in the NHL, signing a two-year deal with the Lightning this past offseason.

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