Steven Stamkos expected to miss four months with torn meniscus

The Tampa Bay Lightning expect that star center Steven Stamkos will miss at least four months with a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.

The Lightning proved last postseason that they can still thrive without All-Star center Steven Stamkos. In early April of 2016, it was announced that Stamkos would be out 1-3 months with a blood clot near his right collarbone.

Despite being without their most dangerous offensive weapon for the remainder of the regular season and most of the playoffs, the team held a 3-2 lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Though Stamkos would play in Game 7, the Lightning ultimately lost the final two games against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Penguins. Still, the emergence of Jonathan Drouin as one of the most talented and polished finishers in the NHL played a large part in allaying the Lightning’s loss of Stamkos.

It will be up to Drouin and a deep Lightning squad to persevere again if they hope to reach their goal of clinching the franchise’s second Stanley Cup and their first since 2004. While Drouin is currently recovering from what the team describes as an upper-body injury, he is listed as day-to-day and is expected to return soon.

According to TSN’s Bob Mckenzie, Stamkos is set to undergo arthroscopic surgery in Vail, CO. and could face an even more prolonged absence than the optimistic four-month timetable cited as the best case scenario:

The Lightning, like many teams in the NHL, have already suffered a rash of injuries that have sidelined not only Drouin but center Valtteri Filppulla, defender Anton Stralman and right wingers Ryan Callahan and Nikita Kucherov, but Stamkos is the most high-profile loss to date.

If it were not for the sheer talent and immediate impact which Drouin has been able to have since rejoining the team last season after a lengthy, self-imposed absence due to unhappiness over playing time, the Stamkos loss would likely have a more crippling effect on the team’s lofty goals.

After all, the team didn’t give Stamkos an eight-season, $68-million contract in the offseason because he’s just an average player. And Stamkos did turn down more money from the likes of Toronto in part because of the Lightning’s  depth and potential to win a Cup.

Related Story: Boston Bruins: Who's Hot, Who's Not

Still, with the team trailing the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference, head coach Jon Cooper will have to find ways to account for Stamkos’ offensive firepower, especially with Drouin still not cleared to play.