Fantasy Hockey Fallout: Andrei Vasilevskiy's bulging disc

The Tampa Bay Lightning dropped a bombshell on Thursday announcing that Andrei Vasilevsky had undergone a successful microdiscectomy to address a lumbar disc herniation. In layman's terms, he had back surgery. 

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent a successful microdiscectomy this morning to address a lumbar disc herniation.

Vasilevskiy is expected to miss approximately the first two months of the regular season.https://t.co/DCdJqmen3C

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) September 28, 2023

Now, if you're anything like me, back and knee injuries are a cause for concern. Some players don't come back to the same level once they've sustained an injury like that. For a goaltender who needs incredible flexibility and range of motion, those concerns become even more magnified. 

However, the report is that he will make a full recovery in 8-10 weeks. We'll stay positive here, and take that at face value. The potential of having to replace the perennial Vezina trophy contender on your fantasy team long-term is simply too much to bear. 

Yet, we do have some decisions to make in the