Condition that caused Vasilevskiy's blood clot rare among hockey players

The condition that caused a blood clot near Andrei Vasilevskiy's collarbone isn't typically found in hockey players, according to the doctor who performed surgery on the Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender.

"It's unusual," Dr. Karl Illig told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. "It's something that's most often seen in baseball pitchers, swimmers, and tennis players. But certainly, if you're an athlete and muscular, it becomes much more likely."

Vasilevskiy underwent surgery to remove the blood clot Thursday and is expected to require two-to-three months of recovery time.

The 21-year-old has a type of thoracic outlet syndrome, the surgery for which has a high success rate when diagnosed early.

"It leads to really long-life success, a normal life, in 95 percent of people," Illig said. "We've had pro pitchers throwing 95 miles per hour, a Division II multiple national champion swimmer, and All-American college skier. I'd say 90 to 95 percent of people get back to a high level of athlete."

General manager Steve Yzerman said Friday that the Lightning will keep tabs on Vasilevskiy's progress to determine whether he will return closer to two or three months.