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Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to miss the next 8-10 weeks following successful back surgery, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced on Thursday.
The team announced that the procedure was a microdiscectomy to address a lumbar disc herniation. The announcement comes as a surprise after the star goaltender returned to practice with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
While that initially appeared to be a step in the right direction, it created a setback for the 29-year-old.
Vasilevskiy's absence will be a major blow to the Lightning, who have made sparse investments in goaltending depth. The spotlight will fall on backup Jonas Johansson, a journeyman who signed a two-year $1.55 million contract with Tampa Bay in the offseason.
The 28-year-old spent most of 2022-23 with the Colorado Avalanche's AHL affiliate, and hasn't played more than 15 games in any of his four NHL seasons. While he's only played 35 games in the NHL, the early returns aren't particularly promising for the Swede.
Other netminders in the Lightning organization include Hugo Alnefelt — a third-round pick in 2019 who posted a .904 save percentage in 33 AHL games last season — and Matt Tompkins, a 29-year-old journeyman coming off two seasons in Sweden after bouncing between the AHL and ECHL for four years.
The Lightning may consider looking outside the organization for some temporary goaltending help. There are a few notable free agents on the market like Brian Elliott — the team's backup in 2022-23 — Jaroslav Halák, Michael Hutchinson, and Aaron Dell.
While Tampa Bay's lack of depth looks like it could create an issue early in 2023-24, it's also understandable that the team lacks a solid Plan B in net. Vasilevskiy has been extremely durable in recent years coming off two straight campaigns with at least 60 games played. Only Connor Hellebuyck (293) has started more games than Vasilevskiy (270) over the past five seasons.
Considering the Russian's hefty salary ($9.5 million) it would also be difficult for Tampa Bay to justify paying for a high-end veteran backup — and the team hasn't developed a reliable young netminder ready to step in as Vasilevskiy's understudy.
Vasilevskiy will be sorely missed by the Lightning for as long as he's absent. The veteran is coming off a solid 2022-23 campaign that saw him post a 2.65 goals-against average and .915 save percentage — resulting in a GSAA total of +20.5.
Thanks to the 2018-19 Vezina Trophy winner's presence. the Lightning had a goaltending edge over most of their opponents last season, helping them produce a +29 goal differential despite outshooting opponents by just 57.
Early in the 2023-24 campaign, Tampa Bay will have to make do without a clear advantage between the pipes.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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