Tampa Bay Lightning star Mikhail Sergachev is out for the rest of his team's Wednesday night contest. The Tampa rearguard engaged New York Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere along the boards. Lafreniere knocked Sergachev to the ice, causing his leg to bend at an awkward angle.

Medical personnel came onto the ice to attend to the Lightning defender. Eventually, Sergachev was stretchered off the ice. The Lightning officially announced that Sergachev would miss the rest of the game with a lower-body injury shortly thereafter.

Sergachev has played 34 games this season, Wednesday included. He scored two goals and 19 points during that time. Tampa entered Wednesday's contest occupying third place in the Atlantic Division, just one point above the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.

Mikhail Sergachev has been a mainstay for Lightning

Sergachev has unfortunately dealt with injuries this season. In fact, his appearance on Wednesday night against the Rangers was his return to action. He had missed the previous 17 games with a lower-body injury.

It's a brutal turn of events for a player who has played an important part in Tampa's success. Last season saw the former top-10 pick turn in a career-best performance. The Lightning star tied a career-high with 10 goals and set a new career-high with 54 points in 79 games.

The 25-year-old has been a mainstay on Tampa's blueline since he arrived. The Lightning acquired Sergachev from the Montreal Canadiens in 2017, and he played 79 games in his first year with Tampa. He has played 475 games in his career, with all but four of them coming with the Lightning.

The Lightning hoped to have Mikhail Sergachev back for the second half of the season. This injury certainly could affect how they approach the rest of the year and the NHL Trade Deadline. Hopefully, this injury looks worse than it actually is, and he can return to the ice sooner rather than later.