Early Thursday evening, prior to their game against the New York Islanders, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that defenseman Mikhail Sergachev had undergone successful surgery to stabilize fractures in the tibia and fibula of his left leg. The injuries occurred during the Lightning’s 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
Earlier in the day Sergachev, who was visibly distraught when he left the ice on a stretcher, posted a message on his Instagram account expressing his frustration and vowing to “come back stronger and play better than before”.
In their press release the Lightning did not give a time table for his return, noting that Sergachev would return to Tampa “in the coming days” to start his rehabilitation immediately.
Any guess as to how long the 25-year-old might be out would be pure speculation. In 2014, when Steven Stamkos fractured his tibia in Boston, he missed three months. Defenseman Anton Stralman returned from his broken tibia in 8 weeks, but admitted that it was still technically broken when he returned for a 2016 playoff game against the Penguins.
More recently, Dougie Hamilton broke his fibula in January of 2020 while playing for the Hurricanes and was cleared to play in early April had the season started back up at that point (it didn’t because of COVID). Alex Killorn broke his fibula in Game 1 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals against Montreal, and while he was skating a few days after his surgery, and tried to return for the series, his true rehab took several months.
None of those players above managed to break both bones at once, though. That is likely part of the reason for the unknown time table for Sergachev’s return. There are roughly 10 weeks left in the season for the Lightning, so even with an optimal recovery process it could be questionable for him to return in time for the end of the season.
Best of luck to Sergachev in his recovery process. His play on the ice will be missed.
The official press release:
TAMPA BAY – Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev underwent successful surgery today in New York to stabilize fractures to both the tibia and fibula in his left leg, the team has announced. Sergachev is expected to return to Tampa in the coming days to immediately begin rehabilitation. A timetable for his return to the ice has not yet been established.
Sergachev was injured during the second period of Wednesday’s game versus the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
