When will Andrei Vasilevskiy return for Tampa Bay Lightning? A closer look at star goaltender's injury

Tampa Bay started the new season without Andrei Vasilevskiy. The two-time Stanley Cup winner is recovering following back surgery conducted at the start of training camp.

The Lightning goaltender's recovery from lumbar disc herniation surgery means he'll likely be out for the first two months of the regular season.

Tampa Bay turns to Jonas Johansson, Matt Tomkins, and Hugo Alnefelt in the net. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic pointed out on September 28, 2023, that the Lighting are exploring all possibilities for their goaltending situation.

In-depth analysis of Andrei Vasilevskiy's injury

According to Dr. Neel Anand, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of Spine Trauma at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, the situation can be likened to a car tire developing a tear and losing air.

He explained,

“In this particular case, there is a jelly in the disc … and that jelly comes out through a tear in the disc. But unfortunately when it comes out, the nerves are right behind, so it starts pinching up on the nerve and it can create pain going down the leg. ... Many times it gets better on its own at some point, but if not, you have to do surgery.”

"Being a goalie, the load on the spine from squatting up and down is tremendous and actually even more than your regular hockey player," Dr. Anand added

"But he's a professional athlete and extremely gifted and motivated, and he can get back to normal. I feel confident that, as long as the surgery went well, he can get back to where he is and get back to the level he was at, as most professional athletes do."

The microdiscectomy procedure that Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent on September 28, 2023, is a minimally invasive surgery that removes the portion of the disc, compressing the nerves while preserving most of the disc.

Dr. Anand pointed out that many professional athletes have successfully returned to their sports after such surgeries, although genetics play a significant role in the long-term outcome.