The day started out pretty nice. It was in the mid-70s in the Tampa Bay area with a bright blue sky and a light breeze stirring the fronds of the palm trees. The type of day Northerners relish as they descend upon the beaches to escape the bitter cold back home. Even better, the Lightning were back on the ice. Over at the practice facility in Brandon, the non-Olympic players were practicing as they prepared to return to NHL action.
Then things took a turn for the worse. First the Lightning announced that defenseman Max Crozier would be out of action for ten weeks following surgery to repair a core muscle injury. Just as we were digesting that wonderful bit of news, word leaked out that Victor Hedman had suffered a lower-body injury during warm-ups for Sweden’s quarterfinal match-up against the United States. The Big Swede missed the game (and his chance for a gold medal) as Sweden fell to the Americans on a Quinn Hughes overtime goal (no word on if the ghosts that haunt him were awarded an assist).
As Hedman’s injury was classified as “lower-body” it’s likely not related to the elbow injury that has kept him out for most of the season. Then again, this is hockey we’re talking about, so who really knows? As of press time, the severity of the injury isn’t known. If it’s a minor issue he could be ready to go when the Lightning take to the ice next week against Toronto.
In Crozier’s case, he’s likely done for the rest of the regular season. It also explains why Declan Carlile has been playing on his off-side since the Stadium Series game against Boston, which is the last game Crozier appeared in for the Bolts. It’s been a tough season for the 25-year-old defenseman who has been in and out of the line-up all throughout his rookie season.
In the 34 games in which he’s appeared, he’s played solid, accumulating 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists) while averaging about 16 minutes a night in a third-pairing role. His defensive numbers have been pretty solid and he’s shown more flashes of his offensive game as the season has progressed.
So, what does this mean for the Lightning? Will they get a little more aggressive on the trade market? Will they sigh deeply and just throw the next person into the line-up like they’ve done all season? Honestly, it probably depends more on Hedman’s injury than Crozier’s. The silver lining to Crozier’s injury is that the team is expected to get Charle-Edouard D’Astous (who was on the ice practicing on Wednesday) and Emil Lilleberg back pretty soon.
Both are left-hand shots, but have experience on the right side this season. They would probably be slight upgrades over Carlile on that third pairing. Now, if Hedman’s injury is long term, Julien BriseBois might be inclined to shore up the defensive depth with a veteran who isn’t making a lot of money.
It’s been a long, miserable season in regards to injuries for the Tampa Bay Lightning, something that they haven’t had to deal with in a long, long time. They’ve been able to thrive despite the constant roster churn, but at some point it’s going to catch up to them. Hopefully, they can figure something out when the season resumes next week, but if whoever is stabbing the Thunderbug voodoo doll with needles could stop, that would be really great.
