Lightning place defenseman on injured reserve

The Lightning moved defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to injured reserve on Saturday, veteran Lightning writer Erik Erlendsson reports.

The move is purely for roster management purposes and does not impact Sergachev’s projected return timeline. As head coach Jon Cooper noted Saturday, the team did not plan on Sergachev being available to return from his lower-body injury until Dec. 27 against the Panthers (via Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times). That is the first game in which the 25-year-old will be eligible to play after missing the seven days required for IR designation. Sergachev last played on Dec. 19 against the Blues.

Sergachev remains listed as day-to-day and it was noted earlier Saturday that he would not suit up in the night's contest against the Capitals. Given the timing of his injury and the league’s holiday break, he will only miss two games after sitting out Thursday’s 5-4 win over the Golden Knights.

With Sergachev sidelined, depth defenseman Haydn Fleury will play just his ninth game of the season Saturday night in Washington. The 2014 seventh overall pick made the team out of camp but was sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan last month, his first minor-league action since 2018-19 with the Hurricanes organization. After a brutal campaign last year, Fleury has played well in minimal action, recording four points and a +5 rating while averaging 14:34 per game. However, the 27-year-old’s possession numbers have been worse than average compared to his teammates for the third straight season.

Sergachev hasn’t played quite at last season’s level. In 2022-23, his positive possession impacts and career-high 0.81 points per game earned him a couple of Norris Trophy votes for the first time. Still, with two goals and 19 points in 33 games this year, his 0.58 point-per-game pace is the second-best of his career. While his -15 rating may sound some alarm bells, his possession numbers have remained above water. Considering Lightning netminders have a .874 SV% with Sergachev on the ice at even strength, play in the crease is likely artificially deflating his rating.