Andrei Vasilevskiy‘s post-surgery season came and went. Now that it’s been a few weeks since this season ended, it’s time for a final evaluation. It was nowhere near the quality of any previous season. Let’s get that obvious point out of the way. But was it all bad? Sometimes it certainly felt that way, but there were certainly times he looked like the Vasilevskiy we all know so well.
Let’s go back and reassess — regular season and playoffs — and then we’ll give a final letter grade at the end.
Making Up for Lost Time
Vasilevskiy started his season from the sidelines due to a herniated disc in his back. The diagnosis and procedure came so close to the preseason that the Lightning were left to settle for who they had sitting around in their system. To their luck, he only missed the first month and a half of the season, returning just after Thanksgiving (from ‘Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy returns from back surgery to face Carolina,’ USA Today, Nov. 24, 2023).
Vasilevskiy jumped in and played in 52 of the remaining 62 games of the season – just eight fewer than the season before. Backup and temporary starter Jonas Johansson did not appear much after that. Whether or not that was the best decision is up for debate, and we’ll swing back around to this point in a bit.
In those 52 games, Vasilevskiy finished with a save percentage (SV%) of .900 and a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.90. Both are career worsts by a decent margin. For what it’s worth, his SV% was still technically above average – the league average was .898 in 2023-24 – but I’m pointing this out more for the humor.
At first glance, it’s easy to conclude he struggled in his effort to make up for lost time. While it’s not wrong to say he struggled – he did – the entire story isn’t being told here. It’s an amalgamation of some extreme highs and lows. Vasilevsiy was never doing just alright. He was either playing like a Vezina Trophy winner or an emergency starter.
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Here is a breakdown of the statistical ups and downs with commentary to sum up how the Lightning community reacted to Vasilevkiy’s season at the time:
- First four games: 1-3-0 record, .859 SV% (first few games back from surgery, it’s fine)
- Dec. 4 to Dec. 23, nine games: 7-2-0 record, .925 SV% (Is he back to form?)
- Dec. 27 to Jan. 6, five games: 1-4-0 record, .858 SV% (maybe not)
- Jan. 9 to Feb. 15, 12 games: 10-2-0 record, .915 SV% (NOW he’s back)
- Feb. 17 to March 7, eight games: 2-5-1 record, .854 SV% (false alarm)
- Final 14 games: 9-4-1 record, .916 SV% (well, at least he finished strong)
- Playoffs: .897 SV% in five games (Not perfect, but not going to blame him)
These streaks might seem arbitrary in length, but you can’t split up his 52 games evenly and tell the whole story. Vasilevskiy would go on some great runs for a few weeks at a time. Fans were excited that he looked like his usual self again. Then he’d have a few (sometimes very) rough days leading to everyone smacking the panic button.
Are the Highs and Lows All on Vasilevskiy?
No, of course not. The defense left him out to dry plenty and there were times he had a good night, but didn’t face a lot of shots. When the Lightning lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 on April 6, Vasilevskiy gave up all five goals, but key defensemen were sloppy in front of the net. Good goalies bail you out, but they can only do it so many times. On the flip side, when the Lightning beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1, he had a .955 SV% in the game, but he only faced 22 shots and saved 21. He gives up a few goals on that few shots and there’s a problem.
The reason why I point this out is because it’s not so simple as looking at the individual stats to draw a conclusion. I can’t give him all the credit for every good outing – Vasilevskiy without a doubt had his worst-performing season and the defense still had its good days. But he also had to deal with the Lightning having their worst defensive season since he’s been in the league. That doesn’t help the stats.
I think it’s also reasonable to say that after back surgery and little rest, streaks were going to happen. He’d get going for a bit before tiring out and then get back on track. If this is the worst version of Vasilevskiy we ever see, the Lightning will be okay with that.
Vasilevskiy gets a more favorable grade because, despite the injury and the defense, we still saw the best of him more than the worst.
Final Letter Grade: B-
