Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos says a return for him this season simply may not be in the cards.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has been hit with the hammer of injustice this season when it comes to injuries. There were even times when the team would lose more players on any given night than they would get back from injury. Unfortunately, this wasn’t even the worst of the problems the Lightning would face this season.
Just one month into the 2016-17 season, the Tampa Bay Lightning and their fans would get the news no team ever wants to receive. It would be announced Lightning captain Steven Stamkos would be forced to miss 4-6 months due to another serious injury.
It all started back on Nov. 15 as the Tampa Bay Lightning took on their Atlantic Division rivals, the Detroit Red Wings. In the first period, the captain would battle for the puck along the boards. After some incidental contact with Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist, Stamkos would take an awkward fall to the ice.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Little did Lightning fans know this would be the last time they would see the captain on the ice this season. Just 24 hours later, Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman would announce Stamkos would be “out indefinitely” as the team and their medical staff could ascertain the nature and severity of Stamkos’ injury and determine the best course of action is for his recovery.
It would be just one day later when the news would come Stamkos needed to undergo surgery to repair a labral tear in his right meniscus and would be forced to miss 4-6 months away from the ice. Essentially, even in the best case scenario, Stammer would miss almost the entire season.
Given the way Stamkos has overcome adversity in the past, many believed the captain would be good to go once he reached the four-month mark. Regrettably, when the middle of March came, it was determined the captain was not quite ready to rejoin his teammates on the ice.
Around that time, Stamkos was quoted as saying he was “starting to feel like a hockey player again.” This was definitely music to the ears of Lightning fans, but it came with some inconvenient consequences for the 27-year-old captain. Once again, the barrage of questions regarding his return would come flooding in.
It wouldn’t be long before Stamkos would make a pretty clear statement as to the status of his return. The Lightning captain said, “When I feel 100 percent, I’ll be back playing.” It would be pretty impossible for him to be clearer than this.
While this response is not exactly what the Bolts Nation wanted to hear, it was the most responsible answer he could possibly give. The very last thing anyone needs is for him to rush his return and risk the potential or re-injury or hurt the team’s competitive chances by not playing at his absolute best.
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On Mar. 29, the Bolts Nation received some amazing news. The Lightning announced Steven Stamkos had been promoted to day-to-day with his lower-body injury. This gave many Lightning fans hope their captain would soon be making his return to the ice to help the team in their desperate playoff push.
Unfortunately, this is not the reality of the situation. Including tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, the Lightning has just two games left in the regular season, and with the playoffs looking like more and more of a longshot, the captain essentially has just one game left to get in on this season’s action.
Steven Stamkos spoke to the media prior to yesterday night’s game in Toronto regarding the status of his return. Needless to say, it doesn’t seem very hopeful the captain will be taking the ice again this season.
"“Yeah, it’s probably not looking that good,” Stamkos said. “It’s been frustrating, obviously, whenever you have to deal with a major injury. I’ve been unfortunate the last couple years, having dealt with a few too many.The good thing is, you know when you see a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s nice. You put in a lot of hard work to be able to get back out there with your teammates.”"
Steven Stamkos goes on to say the flexion in his knee is still very limited. For those of you who don’t speak medical terminology, he is referring to the ability to properly bend his knee. This would definitely prevent him from using his explosive speed on the ice and could cause further injury if pushed too far.
As we mentioned before, this is definitely not the news Tampa Bay Lightning fans want to hear at this point in the season, but this is where we, as fans, need to put our emotions aside and look at the bigger picture. If Stamkos rushes things and comes back before he’s 100 percent, he risks not only his career but his long-term health and quality of life.
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Should the Tampa Bay Lightning become masters of the impossible and make their way into the postseason, there will be plenty of time for Stamkos to make his way back to the ice with his teammates. If not, he will be ready to fire on all cylinders when the team takes the ice next season.
No matter which way this situation ultimately plays out, fans need to be sure to look at the bigger picture and not let emotions cloud the reality of the situation. The Tampa Bay Lightning has been faced with a tremendous amount of adversity this season, and for the most part have been able to overcome.
Next: Stamkos: 'When I Feel 100 Percent, I'll Be Back Playing'
While things may look dark right now, there are better days ahead for the Tampa Bay Lightning. At the same time, when that week rolls around next season, Steven Stamkos needs to take a vacation. The middle of November is definitely not a good time for him on the ice. We’re just saying.