In late March, Steven Stamkos noticed pain and swelling in his right arm after a game against the Canadiens. A lot of athletes would have ignored the symptoms. but a lot of athletes don’t have teammates who’d experienced the exact same thing and been diagnosed with a blood clot. Stamkos turned out to have the same condition as Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy — thoracic outlet syndrome.
Stamkos returned to the ice this week with the Lightning. He's going through drills but that doesn't mean he's going to return to the ice anytime soon for Tampa Bay.
Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a condition that happens when structures in the upper chest/shoulder put pressure on important things like the nerves, artery or vein that supply the arm.