It has been a trying season for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and it got a lot uglier over the weekend with the news that team captain Steven Stamkos would miss between one and three months after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his arm.
The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno tweeted the details Saturday:
The loss of Stamkos, possibly for the entirety of the playoffs, would be a heavy blow to any team. There are unique circumstances at play for the Lightning, however, which make this injury even more tragic from a team perspective.
To appreciate the situation, we need to rewind a little less than a year. The Chicago Blackhawks eliminated the Lightning in six games in the Stanley Cup Final, but the future was bright for Tampa Bay. Not only had the club’s management, led by general manager Steve Yzerman, put a strong club together, but the team was also young enough that a bright future seemed certain.
Players who had not yet hit their 26th birthday tallied 83 percent of the team’s goals (54 of 65) during that playoff run. Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat, the lethal ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
Steven Stamkos’ Health Issues Make Lightning’s Future Look Bleaker Than Ever
April 3rd, 2016 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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