Stamkos out four months after knee surgery

On Thursday, Steven Stamkos underwent successful surgery to repair a knee injury suffered in Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.

From the Tampa Bay Lightning:

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos underwent surgery to repair a tear in the lateral meniscus of his right knee today, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced. Stamkos is expected to miss approximately four months. The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert LaPrade at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado.

No other information is available at this time.

Pierre LeBrun of ESPN initially reported the type of injury Stamkos suffered holds a recovery time of four to six months. The Lightning had labeled the forward as out ‘indefinitely’ until the statement released on Thursday night.

A good guess is the Lightning are going with the ‘best case scenario’ for Stamkos’s recovery in saying it will be ‘approximately four months’. The team did the same thing when he was diagnosed with a blood clot last season.

IF Stamkos is available in four months, the earliest he’d return is mid-March. Depending on where his recovery is and where they Lightning are at in the standings, Steve Yzerman may be shopping at the trade deadline to fill the void.

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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.