We were so close to having some good news in regards to the Tampa Bay Lightning injury situation. Ryan McDonagh was upgraded to day-to-day. Victor Hedman was skating. Things were starting to come together. Then the Columbus game happened. With Max Crozier already out due to an illness, the Lightning lost both Erik Cernak (checked into the boards) and Charle-Edouard D’Astous (knee-on-knee collision at the blue line) before the final whistle was blown.
With the Lightning enjoying a day off, there was no official update on any of the players, but off the ice, moves were made that indicates that at least one of the players was going to be out for a few games. The team announced that they had recalled Max Groshev from Syracuse, and according to PuckPedia, D’Astous was placed on injured reserve.
The hit that landed D'Astous on injured reserve. #GoBolts
— Raw Charge (@rawcharge.com) January 26, 2026 at 1:14 AM
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For the 27-year-old first-year blueliner, it means he’ll be out of the line up for at least a week, which would make him eligible to return for the Stadium Series game next Sunday at the earliest. It’s a setback for the Lightning’s free agent signing who has been a revelation since his call-up back in October. He’s appeared in 43 games and posted 17 points (3 goals, 17 assists).
Could McDonagh be back to fill that hole? Possibly. While Coach Jon Cooper ruled him out for the recent back-to-back, he did say he would be “day-to-day”. So, if not against Utah, maybe later in the week against Winnipeg.
The recall of Groshev, a left-shot defenseman, could indicate that McDonagh might not be quite ready to go. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut earlier in the season, skating 13 minutes against Montreal on December 28th (where he also picked up an assist). It’s been just under a year since the third-round pick converted to defense, and he’s been logging big minutes in Syracuse, where he has 1 goal and 13 assists in 35 games.
Things could be really interesting if Cernak or Crozier aren’t ready to go. That would keep Simon Lundmark, who made his NHL debut against the Blue Jackets in the line-up. It would also mean more ice time for Declan Carlile, who logged over 20 minutes for the first time in his NHL career against Columbus.
Whatever happens, it’ll be just another injury-related obstacle for the Lightning to overcome in what has been a season full of them.
