Lightning get some absolutely brutal news just days before start of the season

This just in, the Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that goaltender Andrei Vasilevsky has undergone surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back. He'll miss at least the first two months of the season while he recovers from the procedure.

Obviously this is a shocking development that puts the Lightning in an incredibly difficult situation. They now enter a pivotal season in their competitive window with Jonas Johansson as their starting netminder. Not great. Not great, at all.

Read below for the official press release announcement from the Lightning:

TAMPA BAY – Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent a successful microdiscectomy this morning to address a lumbar disc herniation, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.

Vasilevskiy is expected to miss approximately the first two months of the regular season.