Lightning’s Max Crozier to miss 10 weeks with core muscle injury
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Max Crozier will miss approximately 10 weeks of action after undergoing surgery to address a core muscle injury, the club announced Wednesday afternoon.
Crozier, 25, has appeared in 34 games with the Lightning this season, collecting one goal and 10 points while averaging exactly 16 minutes of ice time.
The 6’3″ right-handed defenseman most recently played with the Lightning in their Stadium Series game against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 1, finishing with two shots and a minus-1 rating in 13:36 of ice time in a come-from-behind 6-5 win.
Injury Update: Max Crozier will be out approximately 10 weeks following surgery to repair a core muscle injury.
The Lightning originally selected Crozier in the fourth round (No. 120 overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. The Calgary product spent his first four post-draft seasons at Providence College and was named to the long list for the Hobey Baker Award in his senior year.
Crozier signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Lightning upon the conclusion of the 2022-23 collegiate season. He made his NHL debut with the Lightning the following year, skating in 13 regular-season NHL games and three Stanley Cup Playoff contests; he spent the majority of the 2024-25 campaign with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
Upon the conclusion of his entry-level deal, Crozier signed a three-year, $775,000-AAV contract to keep him with the Lightning through 2028. At that time, he’ll become eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career.
Through 52 career NHL games over parts of three seasons with the Lightning, Crozier has collected one goal, 12 points, and 47 penalty minutes while averaging 15:18 of ice time. In his three playoff games with the Lightning in the spring of 2024, Crozier logged 14:15 of ice time but did not record a point.
The Lightning currently lead the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference with a 37-14-4 record and 78 points through 55 games in the 2025-26 season.