The Tampa Bay Lightning will start the 2022-23 season without both centre Anthony Cirelli and defenceman Zach Bogosian as they both underwent shoulder surgery that will keep them on the sidelines for four to six months, general manager Julien BriseBois told media on Wednesday.
Cirelli suffered an AC joint sprain during the playoffs, while Bogosian has had shoulder issues spanning back to his time in Toronto, where he missed the final month of his regular season with the Maple Leafs due to the injury.
The 24-year-old Cirelli notched eight points on three goals and five assists in 23 games during the 2021-22 playoffs, while Bogosian added three assists for three points in 22 games played.
Earlier in the day, Cirelli and the Lightning agreed to an eight-year extension worth $6.25 million per season.
Cirelli's deal comes as the Lightning lock up the next wave of their core long-term, the team also inking defenders Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak to eight-year extensions on Wednesday.
Drafted in the third round (72nd overall) by the Bolts back in 2015, Cirelli has grown into a pivotal piece for the perennial contender, and one of the game's elite two-way talents.
Flirting with the 20-goal plateau and earning Selke Trophy votes as a rookie, Cirelli put up a career-best 44 points through 68 games in his sophomore season, which he finished off by helping the Bolts claim the 2020 Stanley Cup. The Etobicoke, Ont., native averaged 20 minutes a night during that 2020 Cup run, fourth-most among all Bolts forwards.
Coming off a second Cup run in 2021, Cirelli posted 43 points for Tampa Bay this past season, and finished among the top five vote-getters for the Selke Trophy for the second time in his career.
The 24-year-old has one year remaining on his current deal, which will pay him $4.8 million in 2022-23, before his new, eight-year deal at $6.25 million per season will kick in.
BriseBois added that they are likely to return mid-December as they both rehab, allowing Tampa Bay to use long-term injury reserve (LTIR) for their absences.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.