When news broke in early September that Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had surgery to fix a blood clot in his collarbone area, Evgeni Nabokov was one of the first to call him.
Nabokov, 40, had been supplanted by Vasilevskiy, 21, as the Lightning’s backup in February — resulting in Nabokov’s release and eventual retirement — but the two remained in touch via text message. Nabokov, now the Sharks’ goalie-development coach, could sense his fellow Russian needed support.
“I was worried (Vasilevskiy) would get too concerned and negative on himself,” Nabokov told the Tampa Bay Times by phone Monday.