The Tampa Bay Lightning are facing yet another shuffle on their blue line, and this time it comes at the expense of one of their most promising young defensemen. Charle-Édouard D’Astous has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury after taking a shot off the leg during Saturday’s loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The injury looked rough in the moment, and now we know it’s serious enough to sideline the rookie for at least a week.
That’s a tough break for both D’Astous and the Lightning. In just his first NHL season, the 24-year-old has carved out a significant role on Tampa Bay’s back end.
He’s averaging over 19 minutes of ice time per game - 19:23 to be exact - and has already tallied 17 points in 43 appearances. That puts him second among Lightning defensemen in scoring, a remarkable stat considering his path to the NHL wasn’t exactly conventional.
D’Astous went undrafted and spent time grinding it out in the ECHL before climbing the organizational ladder. That kind of journey doesn’t just happen by accident - it takes grit, consistency, and a whole lot of belief from both the player and the team.
Tampa Bay recognized his impact earlier this season with a one-year extension, and he’s rewarded that faith by becoming a steady presence on the blue line. With 45 blocked shots and 53 hits, he’s not just contributing offensively - he’s doing the dirty work, too.
The timing of the injury is unfortunate, but not catastrophic. Tampa Bay has just two games in the next week, and D’Astous will be eligible to return just ahead of the high-profile Stadium Series matchup against the Boston Bruins on February 1st. That’s the target now - getting him healthy in time for one of the team’s marquee games of the season.
In the meantime, the Lightning have recalled Maxim Groshev to help fill the gap. Groshev made his NHL debut back on December 28 and notched an assist in his first game.
Since then, he’s been back with the Syracuse Crunch, where he’s continued to show solid offensive instincts from the blue line. With 13 points in 35 games, Groshev ranks second among Syracuse defensemen in scoring - enough to keep him on Tampa Bay’s radar for call-ups.
At 24, Groshev is still finding his footing at the NHL level, but this latest opportunity could give him a real shot to prove he belongs. He’s a left-shot defenseman, just like D’Astous, which could give him a leg up over Simon Lundmark, a righty who’s currently in the press box. Groshev’s style isn’t a carbon copy of D’Astous, but he brings enough offensive upside and positional familiarity to potentially slot into the lineup without too much disruption.
For the Lightning, this is another test of their depth - something they’ve leaned on heavily in recent years. D’Astous’ injury is a setback, but it’s also a chance for Groshev to show what he can do on the big stage. And if we’ve learned anything from Tampa Bay’s development pipeline, it’s that they know how to find and elevate talent, even when the path isn’t straightforward.