Vasilevskiy reveals injury wrecked his season

Crazy to think, but for the first time since 2018 the Stanley Cup Final will NOT feature Patrick Maroon.

Maroon, of course, captured Stanley Cup championships in 2019 with his hometown St. Louis Blues and then in 2020 and 2021 with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last season in 2022 he returned to the Final with the Lightning, but ultimately lost to the Colorado Avalanche. With Maroon and the Lightning bowing out to the Toronto Maple Leafs in round one this season, Maroon is now in unfamiliar territory: He's watching on TV like the rest of us losers.

In the Lightning's media wrap-up earlier this season Maroon admitted that he's happy for the Leafs and especially for former teammates Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn. Maroon spoke at length about both of these players, sounding like a converted Leafs fan in the process.

Check it out:

"Schenner... won it with him twice. Very happy for him. The stuff he brings to the locker room that you guys don't see, it's valuable. It brings guys together. He does the little things that make things tick. He may not be the most skilled guy obviously, but he makes the first pass and he's strong in front of the net."

"Obviously O'Reilly... he's a big time player. He works hard. He's another guy that young guys look up to. He's the first one on the ice, last one off the ice. He's teaching these kids how to play and how to work on their craft. I'm happy for him."

"You pull for friends like those guys. They appreciate the game, appreciate the locker room and just care about each other. Love 'em."

- Patrick Maroon

If that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is!

Sincerely though, Maroon has waxed poetic in the past about just how important team chemistry is to having success in the playoffs. Nobody is here saying that Maroon is one of the best players in the NHL, but I guarantee that EVERY team would love to have him on their roster because of what he brings to the locker room and to a team's chemistry. It sounds to me like Maroon recognizes that characteristic in both Schenn and O'Reilly too. In other words: The Leafs scored themselves a couple of beauties in O'Ry and Schenner.

Meanwhile, Maroon's teammate Andrei Vasilevsky also met with the media today and, without making excuses for his play, he admitted that he's been hampered by some injuries this season and especially this post-season.

"Probably the first 30-35 games felt as usual but then just me & my body probably weren't on the same page. All those small injuries came out at the same time. My mistake was that I didn't really pay attention to recovery. I kind of kept pushing myself to the limit."

- Andrei Vasilevsky

This is the first time since 2019 that Vasilevskiy will have a full summer to rest and recuperate and he plans on using his time to come back even better next season.

"Glorious opportunity to finally rest and to prepare your mind and body for the next season properly, something we didn't have for the last few years. I'll take it as a great opportunity to get better for next year."

- Andrei Vasilevsky

Man... if I'm the competition I'd be very concerned about a motivated Vasilevskiy coming in hot for 2023-24.