Missing stars alter playoff outlook
Possible season-ending injury means Stamkos’ time in Tampa could be over
When Steven Stamkos goes under the knife Monday, it will culminate a chaotic beginning to April which could ultimately alter the fates of three star players, the road to the Stanley Cup and, in the end, the long-term landscape of the NHL.
In what must seem like an April Fools’ joke gone bad to their respective teams, the first three days of the month have resulted in pressing questions concerning the futures of Stamkos, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Duncan Keith.
With the NHL’s post-season just over a week away, the Lightning have lost Stamkos for one to three months due to blood clots. The Penguins will be without Fleury indefinitely after he was diagnosed with his second concussion of the season and the Blackhawks will be missing Keith from the lineup for the remainder of the regular season in addition to their playoff opener after he was suspended for six games.
The Stamkos situation has ignited a number of relevant queries, with his status as a pending unrestricted free agent only fuelling the uncertainty surrounding his career path moving forward.
First off, with the health of Stamkos being the top priority here, will his recovery be quick enough to allow him to rejoin his Lightning teammates in the playoffs? A best-case four-week scenario is a glass-halffull timeline that would see Stamkos return to action sometime during the second round, but who knows if the Lightning will even prevail in their opening series given that they’ll be without their top goal scorer?
You have to wonder: Has Stamkos played his final game in a Lightning jersey? And if he does hit the open market, how will his predicament alter interest in his services?
During his Saturday night news conference regarding the surgery awaiting Stamkos, Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman reiterated his desire to get his captain’s name inked on a contract extension before the free agency window opens for business on July 1.
There is a school of thought that, in the event Stamkos doesn’t suit up again for the Lightning this spring, he might feel there is some unfinished business remaining in Tampa.
While Yzerman does face some knee-knocking decisions in the next couple of years regarding how he’ll somehow be able to retain the services of some key cogs and squeeze them under the salary cap, the young, talented Lightning arguably offer Stamkos his best shot at winning a Stanley Cup in the next few years.
On the other hand, if Stamkos opts to test the free agent waters, teams certainly will do their due diligence about his health before any lucrative offers are tabled, ones that likely will be in the neighbourhood of US$10 million per season.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs and other potentially interested teams, there is precedent when it comes to players rebounding from blood clots to play in the NHL again.
Indeed, the vascular surgery Stamkos will undergo at Tampa General Hospital to address the blood clot found in his right arm mirrors the procedure the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent on Sept. 3. Vasilevskiy returned with the Lightning’s AHL Syracuse Crunch farm team about two months later, although the organization admittedly took extra caution because of the unique rigours associated with playing goal.
A fascinating subplot created by the absence of Stamkos is the potential role that might be played by the polarizing yet uber-talented Jonathan Drouin, who has racked up nine goals and an assist in the 10 games with the Crunch since returning from his self-imposed separation from the organization.
Yzerman said he’s very pleased with Drouin’s performance, perhaps an indication of what might be in store for coach Jon Cooper’s roster.
With the post-season looming, the Lightning and Penguins were thought to be two of the top Eastern Conference challengers to the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals, but the injury bug certainly has made that a much more difficult task. A fractured left leg has left Lightning defenceman Anton Stralman in civvies like Stamkos, while the length of Fleury’s absence from the Pittsburgh lineup remains unknown.
Rookie Matt Murray registered his first NHL shutout Saturday in a 5-0 blanking of the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh’s 11th win in 12 games. But just how far can the Penguins go without Fleury, who was enjoying one of the best seasons of his career?
“He’s definitely showed a lot of poise for it being his first year,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said when asked about Murray.
Meanwhile, Keith started serving his suspension on Sunday while his Blackhawks faced off against the Boston Bruins. And while his absence certainly will be felt by the inconsistent defending Stanley Cup champions, a harsher punishment for high-sticking/slashing Minnesota’s Charlie Coyle in the face should have been given.
We’ve seen this act before from Keith, who was suspended for one playoff game after committing a similar act against the Kings’ Jeff Carter three years ago. He’s a repeat offender and should certainly have been banished for more than one postseason contest this time around.
At least the Blackhawks know they’ll get Keith back at some point in the Stanley Cup tournament. The Lightning and Pens can’t make that same claim when it comes to Stamkos and Fleury.