Tampa Bay Lightning fans gasped in disbelief when Lightning center Tyler Johnson was forced to leave the final preseason game of the season with an undisclosed injury. The Lightning had already suffered a number of key players thanks to the injury bug, but with the regular season quickly approaching this was most certainly not the time to lose someone of Johnson’s caliber.
As expected, there was not a lot of chatter from the Tampa Bay Lightning as to Johnson’s condition in the days heading to the Home Opener. People like Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman and Head Coach Jon Cooper had plenty of other things to worry about, like finalizing the roster.