The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent goaltender Eddie Pasquale to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. While that regularly may not be a very newsworthy transaction, this time might be different. The Lightning did not recall another goaltender in his stead, likely indicating that Andrei Vasilevskiy will be ready to return to action on Thursday night when Tampa Bay welcomes in the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s not clear if Vasilevskiy would play in that game, but it does mark four weeks since the star goaltender was given a four to six week timeline for recovery from his broken foot.
It’s hard to imagine the Lightning actually getting stronger this week, given the 12-2 record they have since Vasilevskiy went down but goaltending might be the one place they can actually still improve. Despite Louis Domingue winning the second star of the week recently for a 3-0 performance, he still has a sub-par .905 save percentage through 18 games and carries a 2.95 goals against average. Those numbers have been good enough behind a blazing Tampa Bay offense, but are quite a bit south of the Vezina-caliber goaltending that Vasilevskiy routinely brings to the ice.
Before he was injured, the 24-year old netminder was actually putting up the best numbers of his career. Even after season in which he finished third in Vezina voting and led the league with 44 wins, Vasilevskiy had found a new gear and was carrying a .927 save percentage through 13 games. That kind of goaltending will make the already league-leading Lightning even more powerful as we move forward, something that must give the rest of the Atlantic Division nightmares.
Tampa Bay has a 24-7-1 record on the season and an eight point lead on the Toronto Maple Leafs, who just happen to be second in the entire NHL. That dominance makes them an early favorite for the Presidents Trophy, and a dangerous team to watch out for when trade season comes around. Amazingly, the Lightning still have some cap space available this season, even if they won’t be able to take on much term with Brayden Point about to break the bank with his upcoming extension. It’s hard to find much fault in the Lightning roster at the moment, and with Vasilevskiy back in the crease it’ll be hard to find much room in net.