DIRK SHADD | Times
Andrei Vasilevskiy was expected to get an increased role this season, the prized prospect playing more games as backup goaltender to starter Ben Bishop.
But when Vasilevskiy, 21, arrived in Tampa earlier this week, team doctors noticed swelling in his upper left arm. By Thursday, Vasilevskiy was undergoing vascular surgery to remove a blod clot from his left collarbone, which will put him out 2-3 months. The procedure was to treat a type of Vascular Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, performed by Dr. Karl Illig at Tampa General Hospital.
"It's a little bit of a setback for the start of the year," general manager Steve Yzerman said.