A number of media out of the Tampa Bay area are reporting that forward Steven Stamkos has suffered an injury during Phase 2 of the Lightning’s return to play.
Lightning insider Erik Erlendsson first revealed that the sniper is expected to miss the start of training camp and Joe Smith of The Athletic added that Stamkos is getting treatment and doing land work right now.
There is a ton of detail but it’s not expected to be a tremendously serious issue that will keep Stamkos out long-term. The injury is being described as a “lower-body injury” and Lightning general manager Julien Brisebois has confirmed that Stamkos is still skating and should join the Lightning prior to the start of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
So Now What?
The Lightning has called upon Alex Barre-Boulet and he will join the team at training camp, which will have give the team 10 d-men, 18 forwards and four goalies.
A serious injury for Stamkos is obviously terrible news for the Lightning who are looking to seed well in the round-robin portion of the 24-team play-in. Stamkos has already dealt with issues this season, having played in 57 games and scoring 66 points. He is critical to the Lightning’s offence.
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