Aleksander Barkov Undergoing Knee Surgery, Out Seven To Nine Months
6:04 PM: The team released an update on Barkov, noting that he sustained injuries to his ACL and MCL. The surgery has now been performed and carries a typical recovery time between seven and nine months. The short end of that timeline would potentially give him a chance of returning in the second round of the playoffs while the long end would mean that he would miss the entire postseason as well.
10:39 AM: Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov needs surgery to repair the right knee injury he sustained in his first practice session of training camp yesterday, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports. There’s no timeline for his return, and there’s fear he could miss the entire season, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
There is a clear video of yesterday’s incident. Barkov had a low-speed collision with teammate Niko Mikkola, bending as if he were attempting a hip check, which caused Mikkola’s weight to come down on top of him. He landed awkwardly on his right leg under pressure and was unable to get up without assistance (via WPLG Local 10 News).
A gargantuan hole now exists on the Cats’ first line, a position Barkov has held ever since entering the league as an 18-year-old in 2013. The back-to-back Selke Trophy winner is smack-dab in the middle of his prime at age 30 and is widely regarded as the best two-way center in the game, and for good reason. He’s now rattled off five straight seasons above a point per game, averaging a 33-62–95 scoring line per 82 games since the 2020-21 campaign. He’s also logged a cumulative +92 rating during that time and has won 56.1% of his draws. He reached new heights on the possession front last year, logging a career-high 60.8% Corsi share at even strength.
While the Panthers’ forward depth has been the hallmark of their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, it’s already getting stretched thin. They’re now down two stars for at least the first few months of the season as Matthew Tkachuk recovers from offseason adductor surgery. Not having Barkov available down the middle also amplifies the impact of relatively minor injuries like Tomas Nosek‘s. The natural pivot would have been in line to swallow up expanded bottom-six minutes normally, but he also underwent knee surgery recently and will miss multiple months.
This season’s new rules surrounding long-term injured reserve will now have a significant impact on the Panthers’ approach. If a player is not expected to miss the entire season, a team only unlocks the equivalent of last year’s league average salary – roughly $3.8MM in this case – in relief. That does not change based on the number of players on LTIR. If the Panthers were to make Barkov ineligible to play in the regular season or playoffs, though, they could unlock Barkov’s full $10MM cap hit worth of relief, assuming they optimize their capture correctly.
Florida already entered the season in a precarious position, projecting to exceed the cap by $4.5MM, per PuckPedia. While Barkov’s injury is a significant blow to their lineup, there’s now an easy out for them to achieve cap compliance by the time opening night rosters are due by ruling him ineligible to return this season, even giving them room to add a significant salary via trade to help shoulder his absence.
Until then, all eyes are on Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell to anchor Florida’s top two lines. Bennett has been a stellar second-line pivot for the Cats since his arrival in 2021, and although he’s fresh off signing an eight-year, $64MM extension, he’s never been tested in a top-line role. There’s an argument to be made that Lundell, the 12th overall pick of the 2020 draft, should see the greater increase in minutes. He’s filled in on the top line during short-term absences for Barkov in the past and has been a more effective per-minute producer than Bennett. The soon-to-be 24-year-old is also locked up long-term and had a career-high 45 points in 79 appearances last year, averaging 16:43 per game and winning 53% of his draws.
The Panthers have a few options to fill the domino effect and replace Lundell as the No. 3 center. Evan Rodrigues, frequently a top-six complementary winger, is a natural pivot and has taken over 2,500 draws in his 10-year career. He might be a better fit in the role compared to other potential flex-overs like Eetu Luostarinen, who the Cats would presumably like to keep with Lundell and sustain the chemistry they’ve built in consistent deployment together over the past few years.
There’s also now a clear opening for PTO invites, Noah Gregor and Tyler Motte to land NHL deals. Both now clearly slot in among the Panthers’ top 14 forwards with Barkov, Nosek, and Tkachuk all sidelined.
Image courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/26/25
Today marks the second Friday of training camp. One week from now, we’ll be four days away from opening night. We continue to track roster cuts as they come across the wire. This piece will be updated throughout the day.
Buffalo Sabres (per team announcement)
D Noah Laberge (to QMJHL Newfoundland)
G Ryerson Leenders (to OHL Brantford)
Calgary Flames (per team announcement)
F Andrew Basha (to AHL Calgary)
F Parker Bell (to AHL Calgary)
F Lucas Ciona (to AHL Calgary)
F Martin Frk (to AHL Calgary)
F Alex Gallant (to AHL Calgary)
F Carter King (to AHL Calgary)
D Simon Mack (to AHL Calgary)
D Étienne Morin (to AHL Calgary)
G Connor Murphy (to AHL Calgary)
D Jérémie Poirier (to AHL Calgary pending waivers; placement will be Saturday)
G Arsenii Sergeev (to AHL Calgary)
F David Silye (to AHL Calgary)
F Carter Wilkie (to AHL Calgary)
Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)
D Connor Kelley (to AHL Colorado)
D Hank Kempf (to AHL Colorado)
D Saige Weinstein (to AHL Colorado)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic)
G Ivan Fedotov (to AHL Cleveland, pending waivers)
Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)
D Beau Akey (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Connor Clattenburg (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Matt Copponi (to AHL Bakersfield)
G Nathaniel Day (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Seth Griffith (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Jayden Grubbe (to AHL Bakersfield)
F James Hamblin (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers; placement will be Saturday)
D Mason Millman (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Matvey Petrov (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Rem Pitlick (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Rhett Pitlick (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Luke Prokop (to AHL Bakersfield)
F James Stefan (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Brady Stonehouse (to AHL Bakersfield)
Nashville Predators (per team announcement)
D Scott Harrington (released from PTO)
D Cameron Reid (to OHL Kitchener)
New York Islanders (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic, team release, and Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News)
F Max Dorrington (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Liam Foudy (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
F Julien Gauthier (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
F Alex Jefferies (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Joey Larson (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Matthew Maggio (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Cole McWard (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
D Travis Mitchell (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
D Ross Mitton (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Calle Odelius (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Chris Terry (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Cam Thiesing (to AHL Bridgeport)
G Henrik Tikkanen (to AHL Bridgeport)
San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)
D Noah Beck (to AHL San Jose)
D Mattias Havelid (to AHL San Jose)
F Lucas Vanroboys (to AHL San Jose)
F Anthony Vincent (to AHL San Jose)
Utah Mammoth (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic, and a team release)
F Owen Allard (to AHL Tucson)
F Maksim Barbashev (to AHL Tucson)
D Kevin Connauton (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
F Caleb Desnoyers (to QMJHL Moncton)
D Artem Duda (to AHL Tucson)
F Michal Kunc (to AHL Tucson)
F Sam Lipkin (to AHL Tucson)
F Julian Lutz (to AHL Tucson)
F Miko Matikka (to AHL Tucson)
F Ryan McGregor (to AHL Tucson)
G Dryden McKay (to AHL Tucson)
D Lleyton Moore (to AHL Tucson)
F Noel Nordh (to AHL Tucson)
D Montana Onyebuchi (to AHL Tucson)
F Austin Poganski (to AHL Tucson)
F Jack Ricketts (to AHL Tucson)
D Maksymilian Szuber (to AHL Tucson)
F Ty Tullio (to AHL Tucson)
F Samuel Walker (to AHL Tucson)
G Dylan Wells (to AHL Tucson)
Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)
D Sawyer Mynio (to AHL Abbotsford)
Washington Capitals (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic)
D Calle Rosen (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
F Spencer Smallman (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
Waivers: 9/26/25
The following players have hit waivers for pending AHL assignments today as camp cuts continue, per Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic. Everyone waived yesterday cleared, per PuckPedia.
Columbus Blue Jackets
New York Islanders
F Liam Foudy, F Julien Gauthier, D Cole McWard, D Travis Mitchell
Utah Mammoth
Washington Capitals
D Calle Rosen, F Spencer Smallman
Fedotov is the most eye-popping name here, but it’s not unexpected. It was clear after they acquired the netminder from the Flyers that they didn’t anticipate having him on the NHL roster as part of a three-goalie rotation with Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins and would place him on waivers during camp with the hope he’d clear and report to AHL Cleveland. Today is that day. They’re hoping his $3.275MM cap hit, albeit on an expiring deal, is enough of a deterrent for clubs not to claim the former KHL Goalie of the Year and highly-touted prospect. He posted a 6-13-4 record, .880 SV%, and 3.15 GAA in 26 appearances in his rookie season in Philly last year. If he clears and heads to Cleveland, he’ll still count for $2.125MM against the Jackets’ books.
None of the four names from the Islanders were expected to make legitimate ploys for a roster spot. Foudy and Gauthier are experienced names who will be high on the list of recall options from Bridgeport when the season gets underway, though. The duo combined for just three NHL appearances in 2024-25 but were among the farm club’s leading scorers. McWard and Mitchell will have a harder time finding opportunities to fill in on the NHL blue line and are likely ticketed to spend the whole year in Bridgeport behind more intriguing depth options like Ethan Bear and Isaiah George.
Connauton, 35, has 360 games of NHL experience but hasn’t appeared at the top level since the 2021-22 season. He’s slated to spend a fourth consecutive season in the minors as a result. He’s playing out the back half of the two-year, two-way deal he signed with Utah last summer. He served as an alternate captain for the club’s AHL partner in Tucson, posting a 6-11–17 scoring line with a -5 rating in 56 appearances while racking up 78 PIMs.
Rosen signed a two-way deal with the Caps this summer after spending last year in the minors in the Avalanche organization, where he had 34 points in 62 games for the Colorado Eagles. He’s got semi-considerable NHL experience with 93 games under his belt and will be among Washington’s top recall options from Hershey should they need an offensive-minded defender to fill in. Smallman, 29, is entering his ninth professional season without any NHL action to speak of. He signed a two-year, two-way extension with the club back in April to keep him with Hershey through 2026-27. He posted a career-high 10-24–34 scoring line in 62 games for the Bears last year.
Connor Ingram Clears Waivers
Sep. 26: Ingram cleared waivers and will be assigned to Tucson, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. A trade can still be worked on – in fact, it might be easier for the Mammoth to swing a deal now that the acquiring team knows they won’t immediately lose him on the wire.
Sep. 25: No trade has materialized up until this point, which has led the Mammoth to officially place Ingram on waivers today, the team said. They’ll now wait for the next 24 hours to see if another club submits a claim or if they’ll need to reassign him to AHL Tucson.
Sep. 17: Goaltender Connor Ingram will not attend the Mammoth’s training camp as the team works to find him a new home, general manager Bill Armstrong told reporters today, including Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. If a trade doesn’t materialize, the team intends to place him on waivers later in the preseason.
Ingram, 28, entered last season as Utah’s No. 1 netminder. He’d broken through as a starter with the Coyotes the year prior, amassing a strong 23-21-3 record, .907 SV%, and 2.91 GAA behind a heavily understaffed defense that finished out of the playoff picture. He also tied for the league lead with six shutouts and saved 8.3 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck, although that didn’t land him any Vezina Trophy consideration.
That momentum did not carry through as the Coyotes’ hockey operations assets were transferred to the new Utah Mammoth (née Hockey Club) franchise. While Ingram played 12 of Utah’s first 15 games and had a 6-3-3 record, that was due to their offense giving him good goal support. He only managed a .879 SV% out of the gate, and the starting job was returned to Karel Vejmelka by mid-November. After being benched for more than a week, he sustained an upper-body injury in his first start back that ended up keeping him out of the lineup for nearly two months.
Initially, it looked like the break was a blessing in disguise for Ingram. He had a .967 SV% and only allowed one goal in a conditioning appearance for AHL Tucson and had a good run in his first few games back in Utah’s lineup. He made eight appearances between his return in January and the 4 Nations break, posting a 4-3-1 record with an improved .905 SV%. He then allowed four goals on 25 shots in his first game after the break, which would be his final game of the season and last for Utah. Two weeks later, he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program after his mother passed due to breast cancer.
Ingram was cleared by the program last month, so he’s legally eligible to play and report to training camp. His lack of presence for the Mammoth isn’t due to his underwhelming on-ice performance last year; rather, he’s simply looking for a fresh start mentally. “Both sides are on the same page and will be working cohesively towards a positive outcome in order to provide Ingram with a fresh start on a new team that better suits his needs,” Bagley wrote.
Utah will still have two experienced NHL netminders on their roster to open the season. With Ingram’s status uncertain at the beginning of free agency, the team signed Vitek Vanecek to a one-year, $1.5MM deal. Today’s news means he’s essentially guaranteed to start the season as the backup to Vejmelka, who managed a .904 SV% and a 26-22-8 record in a career-high 55 starts and 58 appearances last year.
Ingram has one year left on his contract at a $1.95MM cap hit, although it’s worth noting his actual salary is higher than that at $2.15MM and could deter teams from submitting a claim for him on waivers. If he clears and agrees to accept an AHL assignment, Utah would still carry an $800K cap hit while he’s in the minors.
Maple Leafs’ Marshall Rifai Needs Wrist Surgery
Maple Leafs depth defenseman Marshall Rifai will miss some significant time after sustaining a wrist injury in last night’s exhibition win over the Canadiens. Head coach Craig Berube told reporters today, including Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, that he requires surgery with no specific return timeline.
Speculatively, it’s a right wrist issue for Rifai. He was held out for the second and third periods of the game and took a hard hit into the glass from Montreal forward Joshua Roy midway through the first (video via Michael Mazzei of The Leafs Nation).
Rifai only had a slim chance at breaking camp with Toronto, which has avoided any other notable injuries on defense, but that’s now gone. Their top six group is set in stone, which meant Rifai was in competition with more experienced names like Henry Thrun, Philippe Myers, and Dakota Mermis for a press-box role. All of those three are waiver-eligible, and at least one – likely two – will need to hit the wire with a surplus of NHL forwards on the Leafs’ roster. With them only expected to carry one extra blueliner, the odds were far from being in Rifai’s favor.
Nonetheless, he’s a depth talent the organization likes to have around. The 27-year-old was an undrafted free agent signed out of Harvard in 2022 and has been a frequent standout in training camp, although he only has two regular-season appearances to his name, coming back in 2023-24. He was recalled a handful of times last season but never got into game action. He’s beginning a two-year, league-minimum, one-way extension that he signed at the beginning of last season, so he’s at least in line for an NHL-caliber payday despite most of his playing action coming in the minors.
Since he’s signed to a one-way deal, the 6’2″ lefty is not SOIR/non-roster eligible. He’ll need to begin the year on regular injured reserve, meaning his $775K cap hit will count against the Leafs’ books unless he misses enough time (10 games/24 days) to be eligible for long-term injured reserve. After being cleared to play, he can then be placed on waivers and reassigned to AHL Toronto if he clears.
Canadiens’ David Reinbacher Suffers Broken Hand
Top Canadiens defense prospect David Reinbacher sustained a broken metacarpal bone in his hand in last night’s exhibition loss to the Maple Leafs and will miss the next four weeks, according to a team announcement.
The 2023 No. 5 overall pick has now sustained a significant injury in back-to-back preseasons, both in games against Toronto. Last year, it was a left knee injury that ate up more than half his season. He didn’t make his debut for AHL Laval until February, with his injury essentially removing any chance he had of making his NHL debut.
The shorter return timeline this time around means it won’t be as developmentally disruptive for Reinbacher, but it does zero his chances of breaking camp with the club. The righty faced an uphill battle anyway with Alexandre Carrier and Noah Dobson ahead of him on the depth chart and Lane Hutson shifting to his offside on a pairing with Kaiden Guhle, but he’s looked strong in limited AHL action thus far and might have been worth a look. Instead, he’ll start the year on season-opening IR with a $0 cap hit since he didn’t appear in an NHL game last year until he’s cleared to play and can be reassigned to Laval – unless there’s an unexpected opening on the NHL roster in late October.
Reinbacher’s injury troubles mean he only has 21 AHL games to his name over the past two seasons. He’s got a 4-6–10 scoring line in them with a +11 rating, though, and he added six points in 13 Calder Cup Playoff games last season.
In the interim, the Canadiens will be down their only realistic right-shot recall option. They’re extremely thin organizationally on that side. Aside from Carrier and Dobson, career AHLer Nathan Clurman is the only healthy natural righty under contract.
Predators Reassign Cameron Reid, Release Scott Harrington
The Predators have trimmed their training camp roster by two this morning, saying goodbye to a pair of semi-notable defensemen. The club announced they’ve reassigned first-round pick Cameron Reid to OHL Kitchener and released Scott Harrington from his professional tryout.
Reid, 18, was the No. 21 overall pick in June’s draft and was never expected to challenge for an NHL job on his first try. That’s not to detract from the mobile lefty’s skills – more than a few public rankings had him going in the teens, but at “just” 6’0″, he slipped in a draft where teams prioritized height on the blue line. He was the fifth defenseman off the board and had a well-rounded showing for Kitchener last year, posting a 14-40–54 scoring line in 67 appearances with 44 PIMs and a +39 rating. He also won a gold medal with Canada at the under-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup at the beginning of the season.
Reid was in Nashville’s camp by virtue of his presence on their reserve list. They’ve yet to sign him to an entry-level contract, so he’s not eligible to play in a regular-season contest yet anyway. He’ll return to Kitchener for a third junior season before getting a longer look at an opening night slot next fall.
Harrington was brought into camp for veteran depth to help them meet exhibition game minimums early on in the preseason schedule, but he ended up not making an appearance. The team did not say whether he had been assigned to their AHL affiliate’s camp. Considering he hasn’t signed a contract or tryout agreement with Milwaukee, it’s fair to assume this is a true departure from the organization and he’ll need to look elsewhere to play in 2025-26.
The 32-year-old’s resume boasts over 250 games of NHL experience, although none since the 2022-23 season. He spent last year on an AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds, where he had five points and a -5 rating in 49 appearances.
Maple Leafs Sign James Reimer To PTO
The Maple Leafs have signed veteran netminder James Reimer to a professional tryout, per a club announcement.
If it results in a contract, it could end up being a bookend to the 37-year-old’s NHL career. Reimer was a fourth-round pick by the Leafs back in 2006 and broke into the NHL with them four years later. He spent nearly six full seasons with the Leafs, spending a good chunk of that time in tandem with Jonathan Bernier, before being dealt to the Sharks at the 2016 trade deadline to kick off the journeyman portion of his career. His first go-around with Toronto saw him post an 85-76-23 record, .914 SV%, 2.83 GAA, and 11 shutouts in 207 appearances. He guided the club to its only playoff appearance of the Phil Kessel era and was excellent in a seven-game loss to the Bruins in the first round in 2013, logging a .923 SV% in that series.
He rejoins the organization now as much-needed depth after the club announced earlier this week that Joseph Woll had taken a personal leave and would be out indefinitely. Behind Woll’s tandem partner, Anthony Stolarz, the Leafs had only six games of NHL experience in their goaltending pipeline – all belonging to third-stringer Dennis Hildeby last season. Reimer’s 525 career games are more than twice the combined total of every available Toronto goalie at the moment.
Of course, Reimer is no longer the serviceable 30-to-40-start netminder he was for the Leafs a decade ago. He’s a fine backup option now, but hasn’t posted an above-average save percentage in each of the last three seasons. He made 21 starts and three relief appearances last year between the Ducks and Sabres, spending a good portion of the season as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen‘s No. 2 in Buffalo. He compiled a 10-10-2 record with a .896 SV% and 3.04 GAA with one shutout. While those are below-average numbers on the surface, he ended up with a whopping 8.0 goals saved above expected thanks to some porous Sabres defensive performances in front of him, according to MoneyPuck. That ranked 25th in the league last year.
That latter number means he could be an intriguing stopgap for a Leafs squad that squeezed the best out of Stolarz and Woll last season. If Woll ends up missing extended time, he could be lined up to get more than the 1-in-4 workload he’s seen over the past couple of years with Stolarz untested past the 30-game range in a season.
Penguins’ Joel Blomqvist Out At Least Four Weeks
Penguins goaltender Joel Blomqvist will be out “for a minimum” of four weeks as he deals with a lower-body injury, the team announced. As a player on a two-way contract who played less than 50 NHL games last year, he’s eligible for season-opening injured reserve with a prorated cap hit.
The injury bug continues to bite the Pens, who have already lost forwards Kevin Hayes and Rutger McGroarty for the beginning of the regular season. It’s especially tough news for Blomqvist, who was hoping to work his way into a potential three-goalie rotation on the NHL roster or force the club to expose either Tristan Jarry or Arturs Silovs to waivers in what stands as a wide-open crease in Pittsburgh. The 23-year-old has been viewed as the organization’s top goalie prospect for the last couple of years, but after making 15 NHL appearances last year, he’s no longer considered a prospect by most public rankings.
It’s unclear if Blomqvist sustained the injury in his lone preseason outing, which came back on Monday against the Canadiens. He went a perfect 11-for-11 before leaving the game as scheduled during the first TV timeout past the halfway point of regulation.
The injury greatly diminishes his hopes of sticking on the NHL roster when he’s ready to return. A roster spot wasn’t a given anyway – he’s still waiver-exempt, a status he could maintain through 2026-27 if he doesn’t play an additional 45 games by then. He also wasn’t particularly impressive in his first taste of big-league action last season. He made 12 starts and three relief appearances along the way as both Jarry and veteran backup Alex Nedeljkovic, now with San Jose, both struggled ahead of him. He logged a 4-9-1 record with a .885 SV% and 3.81 GAA. He allowed 4.7 goals above expected based on the shot quality he faced, according to MoneyPuck – the same amount Jarry allowed in more than twice as many appearances. Blomqvist’s -0.365 GSAx/60 was 11th-worst in the league among goalies with at least 15 appearances.
Nonetheless, the 6’2″ Finn has been one of the AHL’s more impressive young goalies since arriving in North America full-time in 2023. In 65 career minor-league appearances with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Blomqvist has a 2.38 GAA, .918 SV%, two shutouts, and a 33-21-10 record. He was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team and Second All-Star Team following the 2023-24 campaign.
There’s still ceiling in his game, but he’ll need to wait to show it as he enters the final season of his entry-level deal. The pending restricted free agent will carry a cap hit equal to the number of games he dressed for last season – not just the ones he played – divided by 82 and multiplied by his $866,667 cap hit.
Lightning Not Concerned About Andrei Vasilevskiy’s Availability For Regular Season
There’s been something of a hullabaloo in Tampa Bay regarding the status – or lack of – surrounding star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. He’s not practicing today, marking a week since he was last on the ice with the club and four days since head coach Jon Cooper said he was being held out for “player management.”
Yesterday, Cooper told Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times that “there’s every expectation Vasilevskiy will have enough time and game action to be ready for the regular-season opener Oct. 9 against Ottawa,” although he’s not expected to practice with the team again until Monday. The team has still been silent on what kind of injury he’s dealing with, or if he’s even dealing with an injury-related issue at all.
Vasilevskiy has rarely missed significant time in his 11-year career. The 31-year-old only has three absences of 10 or more games on record: 12 games due to blood clots while he was breaking into the league back in 2015-16, 14 games due to a foot fracture early in the 2018-19 season, and the first 20 games of the 2023-24 season after it became apparent during training camp he needed back surgery.
Nonetheless, Cooper’s comments earlier this week indicated the Lightning are at least beginning to develop concern about Vasilevskiy shouldering his usual workload in 2025-26. He’s started 60-plus games in three of the last four years – an extreme rarity in today’s NHL. Since Vasilevskiy took over as Tampa’s starter in the 2016-17 season, only Connor Hellebuyck (532) has more starts than Vasilevskiy’s 496.
Performance isn’t a huge concern. Vasilevskiy is coming off one of the more quietly dominant seasons of his career – and an important one for his legacy after his numbers dipped following his return from surgery in 2023-24. He rightfully finished second in Vezina Trophy voting after racking up a .921 SV% and 2.18 GAA, both his best marks in four years, in 63 starts – one short of his career-high.
Depth is, though. If the Bolts are intent on bringing Vasilevskiy back to the 55-start range, that would mean close to 30 appearances for seldom-used backup Jonas Johansson. The 30-year-old Swede has been one of the more consistently below-average names in the league since first breaking onto an NHL roster with the Sabres in 2019-20, logging a career .890 SV% and 3.30 GAA. That works out to 31.6 goals allowed above average over the course of his 70-start, 80-game career. When required to step in for Vasilevskiy during his back surgery recovery two years ago, he managed a 12-7-5 record in his 26 appearances but only had a .890 SV% and 3.37 GAA, working out to -8.9 goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck.