MAJOR: Lightning Announce Opening Night Goalie

The Lightning shocked the hockey world just over a week ago when they announced that their star goalie, Andre Vasilevskiy had undergone back surgery and would be out for 8-10 weeks. Kevin Weeks was first to report the news.

Fans and the media alike immediately began to speculate as to how the team would deal with this injury. Would they promote from within? Would they claim a goalie on waivers? Would the team make a trade? It was pandemonium across the hockey world but that chaos now seems to be resolved.

Today the team announced that Jonas Johansson would start on opening night. As such, it seems that he has won the starting job, at least for now. Notably, Johansson had a very strong preseason, including back-to-back shutout performances.

Johansson was likely the team's best internal option although he has just 35 games of experience at the NHL level. This is the best opportunity the 28-year-old has had in his career so it will be a golden chance for him to prove he belongs in the league. With the Lightning's cap situation so tight, he may be the number one guy for the entirety of Vasilevskiy's absence.

As seen on Marker Zone