The Tampa Bay Lightning have been playing this season without star netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who had back surgery before the campaign began. However, it appears he's not far off returning to the fold for the Bolts.

Head coach Jon Cooper gave a very promising update on his rehab when speaking on Monday. Via Chris Johnston:

“Jon Cooper says Andrei Vasilevskiy is progressing from back surgery and on pace to return to the Lightning lineup at some point after U.S. Thanksgiving.”

“I'll be disappointed if it's early December.”

That's fantastic news for the Lightning. After all, Vasilevskiy is one of the best goaltenders around and was a key component in Tampa's back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. He also won the Vezina Trophy in 2019, which is awarded to the top netminder in the league.

In the Russian's absence, Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins have handled the duties in between the posts. Johansson has played the most, featuring in nine games and compiling a 2.87 GAA and .916 save percentage. While both guys are managing to hold it down, there's no question the Lightning want Andrei Vasilevskiy back sooner rather than later. He was great in 2022-23, compiling a 34-22-4 record to go along with a .915 save percentage and 2.65 GAA.

Tampa is off to a 5-3-3 start and has been firing on all cylinders offensively. Defensively though, they're not as solid. Cooper's squad just hammered the Ottawa Senators 6-4 over the weekend and will face the Toronto Maple Leafs on the road on Monday evening, the same team who eliminated them from last season's playoffs.