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"He wasn't ready": Bruce Boudreau speculates Andrei Vasilevskiy returned early from back surgery owing to Bolts' struggling start
Bruce Boudreau recently discussed Andrei Vasilevskiy’s return from back surgery, suggesting that Tampa Bay’s early struggles might have led him to return sooner than expected. In a video on the NHL Network’s X platform, Boudreau alluded to Vasilevskiy’s strong recovery and commitment.
Boudreau pointed out that Vasilevskiy had major back surgery in September and showed great determination when he returned earlier than expected.
"I mean, the guy's just great. Like, I mean, I look at it, you get the back surgery in September. Now that's a serious injury. And I think they didn't force him. He forced himself to get better quicker than he was. He's the one goalie on this list I don't look at the stats at because I think he came back early just to save Tampa and he wasn't ready to come back," Boudreau said.
Boudreau also praised Vasilevskiy for securing 30 wins amid his early return.
"He could have used another almost month to heal and practice before he came back. So he comes back early and he works his way into still winning 30 games for that team," Boudreau added.
Boudreau then recalled Vasilevskiy’s early days when Lightning coach Jon Cooper first mentioned him.
"I've coached against him for a long time to the point where I remember when Jon Cooper told me, [he says] 'We got this young kid playing in Syracuse right now. He's gonna be our number one guy'... and ever since I've watched him he was just outstanding."
Even with a high goals-against average last season, he remained reliable. After his surgery, he returned on November 24 and continued to start over 50 games where he showed how he is still one of the best. His 293 career wins place him at No. 5 among active goalies.
With a summer of preparation, Vasilevskiy is expected to return to his best form and help lead the Lightning to success.
Andrei Vasilevskiy got ranked by NHL under top 3 recently
Vasilevskiy had a tough 2023-24 season based on his usual standards. He recorded a 30-20-2 record, a 2.90 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage in 52 games. His slower start was due to an offseason surgery. In spite of this, the NHL Network ranked him as the No. 3 goalie among current active players. He is behind only Igor Shesterkin and Connor Hellebuyck.
Here is NHL Network's latest top 10 goalies list:
- Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers)
- Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets)
- Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning)
- Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins)
- Ilya Sorokin (New York Islanders)
- Thatcher Demko (Vancouver Canucks)
- Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers)
- Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars)
- Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators)
- Linus Ullmark (Ottawa Senators)
At 30 years old, the Russian goalie has been at the top of his position for years. He is a two-time Stanley Cup winner and was the recipient of the Vezina Trophy during the 2018-19 season.
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