Steven Stamkos has been an ironman for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Now the Lightning will have to see how strong they are without him.
The 23-year-old is out indefinitely after breaking his right tibia in a 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on Monday. He will undergo surgery Tuesday morning.
"The biggest concern for me, and the rest of the Lightning, is that the decisions are made in Steven's best long-term interest and we feel this is the appropriate course of action," Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman said in a statement.
Stamkos' injury occurred during the second period, when he crashed into a goalpost while backchecking.
In his five-year career, Stamkos has never missed a game due to injury. He was a healthy scratch for three games during his rookie season.
Since then, Stamkos evolved into the essential component to Tampa Bay's offense. As of Monday, he shared the league lead in goals (14) and points (23). The center entered Monday with a six-game scoring streak and eight-game points streak.
The former No. 1 overall pick has not registered fewer than 45 goals or 90 points in his past three full seasons. During the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Stamkos' 29 goals were second only to Alexander Ovechkin.
But he's also been a factor in keeping 38-year-old Martin St. Louis feeling young. The Bolts captain has benefitted immensely from skating alongside a finisher like Stamkos on the top line. The pairing led to St. Louis capturing his second career Art Ross Trophy last season, making him the oldest player to win the award.
It was interesting that Stamkos' injury occurred while he was trying to help his team defensively. The Bolts have looked for more accountability out of everyone in their own end this season, including its star offensive talent. And thus far, the system has worked with Tampa Bay leading the Atlantic Division with 24 points through 17 games.
Now the question of who will provide offense for the Lightning becomes a burning one, especially with Stamkos out for an unspecified period of time.
"It's tough to lose a guy like that," coach Jon Cooper told NHL.com. "We'll see what we're made of. You talk about a test, this is a test."
Despite their early success, only Stamkos had registered double digits in goals. Only three others -- St. Louis, Valterri Filppula and Teddy Purcell -- had topped five.
The answer might rest in Syracuse.
Prospect Nikita Kucherov, drafted 58th overall in 2011, has been on a tear with the Crunch, Tampa Bay's American Hockey League affiliate. He leads the league with 12 goals and ranks second in points with 22.
Yzerman told the Tampa Bay Times only days ago that Kucherov has caught his attention, but there are benefits to keeping the Russian at the minor league level for development.
With his most prolific offensive player out and a lack of scoring depth showing despite success, Yzerman may have no choice but to bring up 20-year-old.
If one thing benefits Tampa Bay, it is that the Lightning have already bought into Cooper's team-first, defensive mentality. Not having Stamkos simply shifts a greater amount of offensive responsibility on each player.
Playing without luxury, the idea of not having a game-breaking goal scorer, may actually create a stronger mentality in Tampa Bay's locker room.
Overall team goal scoring will dip. The power play will struggle. Games will be tighter.
Losing Stamkos is a test no one on the Bolts cares to face, but will ultimately reveal how hardened they actually are.
