Concern rising in Tampa Bay as superstar goalie misses multiple practices

Jackson Weber

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Concern rising in Tampa Bay as superstar goalie misses multiple practices image

Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Lightning's window to compete for Stanley Cups is shrinking.

After three consecutive runs all the way to the finals, which included back-to-back championships, the Bolts have been bounced in the first round in each of the three years since. 

Aside from the departure of Steven Stamkos last summer, the core group remains intact and in its prime in Tampa Bay. The Lightning are heavily reliant on their top talent, though nobody is more important to the team's success than Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The superstar goaltender holds down the fort as a workhorse in net, so when he misses not only a team scrimmage but four straight practices on top of it, concern rises. TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston shared the latest on Vasilevskiy during Wednesday's edition of "Insider Trading."

"Well, we don't know a whole lot, and that's part of why I think this story has a bit of legs in Tampa. And that's because Andrei Vasilevskiy, as you mentioned, missed a scrimmage, missed four straight days now of practice, and there's not a whole lot of clarity as to what's going on. Jon Cooper did tell reporters in Tampa that he is dealing with a player management issue, that he's receiving some treatment, nothing beyond that. I reached out to Julian BriseBois, the Lightning GM, on this day, and he pointed me back to Cooper's comments. All of which is to say, given his injury history, his workload, and how important this player is to the Lightning, the longer he's off the ice, the more this story's going to grow in terms of its attention," Johnston said.

The 31-year-old has three years remaining on the eight-year, $76 million contract extension he signed with the Bolts back in 2019.

Troubling situation for the Lightning

Whether it's anything serious or not, the Tampa Bay Lightning have to be concerned about what's going on with Andrei Vasilevskiy.

As Johnston referred to, the five-time all-star has shouldered a huge workload throughout his career and, quite frankly, has yet to look like himself since the back injury that forced him to miss the start of the 2023-24 campaign.

Vasilevskiy appeared to be back in form last season, though it ultimately didn't translate into the playoffs, where he was lit up by the Florida Panthers. 

If the Lightning have any hope of making one more Stanley Cup run with this core, they will absolutely need a healthy and productive Andrei Vasilevskiy from start to finish in 2025-26.

Jackson Weber

Jackson Weber is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a graduate of the University of Guelph with a degree in Business and Sport Management. He has experience covering all four major sports leagues (NHL, NFL, MLB, NBA) with a primary focus on the NHL.