The Tampa Bay Lightning's playoff hopes took a massive hit on Saturday, as the team revealed captain Steven Stamkos will undergo a procedure to remove a blood clot in his arm.
Steven Stamkos will miss ‘1-3 months’ after surgery to remove a blood clot
Could this be how Stamkos’ Lightning career ends?
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
In a statement, the Lightning described his injury as “Vascular Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (called Effort Thrombosis) near his right collarbone.“ The surgery will happen Monday, and Stamkos is expected to miss from one to three months in recovery.
Stamkos will have vascular surgery Monday. "An incredibly bad luck for us," Yzerman said. "Which is an understatement." #tblightning
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) April 3, 2016
Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman compared Stamkos' injury to that of Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who underwent vascular surgery to remove one in September. Pittsburgh Penguins winger Pascal Dupuis retired in December after unsuccessful comeback attempts from blood clots. And Miami Heat big man Chris Bosh has struggled with lingering blood clot problems as well. In each case, caution and focus on recovery were heavily prioritized over playing time.
There is a chance this injury ends Stamkos’ career in Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old captain has yet to sign a new contract, and his current deal expires this summer.
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