The return of Zach Bogosian to Tampa Bay is off to a tough start. After the Lightning lost the first game of this season to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Bogosian won’t get another chance to take the ice for quite some time. The veteran defenseman is out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury, according to team reporter Bryan Burns. The team recalled Andrej Sustr in his place.
It’s been a very interesting few years for Bogosian, who was a highly paid member of the Buffalo Sabres as of February 2020. The Sabres decided to waive and then assign Bogosian to the minor leagues, which didn’t sit well with the veteran defenseman, so he decided not to report and forfeited the rest of his $6M 2019-20 salary. It turned out to be quite the successful move, as after going through a contract termination, Bogosian signed on with the Lightning just in time to help them win the Stanley Cup.
Last season, he ended up with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a Cup-winning veteran who was supposed to bring playoff toughness but failed to help the Leafs slay their first-round demons. Why chase rings around the league when you can just go back to Tampa? That’s exactly what Bogosian did this offseason, signing a three-year deal with the Lightning with a full no-trade clause.
Now out more than a month, the Lightning will need to find an answer on their third pair that isn’t Bogosian. Cal Foote, the obvious choice, is still working his way back from his own injury and was wearing a red no-contact sweater at practice. It’s Sustr for the time being, despite the 6-7 behemoth last playing in the NHL during the 2018-19 season.
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