Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy back on ice practicing

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy appears to be closer to recovering from his back injury, as he’s already on the ice practicing with the team.

Vasilevskiy, 29, has missed all of the 2023-24 season as he’s been recovering from a back injury that he had surgery for before at the start of training camp. He was slated to miss the first couple months of the season, and the current timeline has him set to return around American Thanksgiving.

“It feels amazing,” said Vasilevskiy after the practice. “Obviously, it’s been a long time. Obviously, it’s unfortunate, but it is what it is. I took that time to recover well and to prepare myself for the first practice. I feel good.”

Vasilevskiy had a 34-22-4 record, a .915% save percentage, four shutouts, and 17.73 5v5 goals saved above expected in 60 games last season. His save% was actually the lowest of his career since he took over the starting goalie role in Tampa Bay, and yet his goals saved above expected was a career high for him, showcasing how important he is to a Bolts team that has lost a lot of pieces from their championship winning teams.

Vasilevskiy did struggle in the playoffs though, as he had a 2-4 record, .875 save%, and -1.56 5v5 goals saved above expected as the Lightning lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs.

Vasilevskiy was a first-round pick of the Lightning in the 2012 NHL Draft, and has spent the entirety of his nine-season career in Tampa Bay, capturing two Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in the latter win. He’s currently in the fourth year of an eight-year contract with a $9.5 million contract, one he signed in the 2019 offseason after winning his only Vezina Trophy.

Winger Nikita Kucherov is also on the ice again after missing Saturday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes with an illness. Kucherov has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 14 games this season.