SUNRISE- Three days after Christmas Nikita Kucherov underwent surgery to repair to his hip stemming from a pulled groin that happened in the first game of the playoffs in August.
The 2019 league MVP worked relentlessly since then, getting physical therapy almost every day as part of a rigorous rehab plan to get him back on the ice in a four-to-five month timeframe. It was never a promised date, it was never a guarantee he would be able to play at all this season, even if Tampa Bay made the playoffs.
Well, the Lightning did earn a postseason berth and Kucherov did find his way back on the ice ...
