On November 15, 2016, Stamkos fell and left the game, which turned out to be a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. Steve Yzerman said there was no timetable for his return and that Stamkos would be out "indefinitely". On November 17, 2016, Stamkos headed to Vail, Colorado to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear The procedure he underwent was estimated to have a four-month recovery window, which would keep Stamkos out of the lineup until at least mid-March. This could translate into Stamkos missing at least 50 games. Later in the day, the Lightning announced Stamkos underwent surgery that day. As predicted, Stamkos was expected to miss approximately four months.