Nikita Kucherov out 8-10 weeks for Lightning after undisclosed procedure
Anthony Scultore
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Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov was injured in a collision with Washington forward Garnet Hathaway during Saturday’s 2-1 overtime win against the Capitals back on October 16th.
He was seen skating gingerly to the bench in the middle of the third period and did not play the rest of the game. Head coach Jon Cooper provided a vague update to the injury two days later.
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Kucherov will be out 8-10 weeks
“It’s definitely not a day-to-day thing, so we’ll wait until we get an official word, but he’s definitely out,” Cooper said. “He’s going to be out for a while here. We’re not going to put a timetable on it until we get an official word. In the short term here he’s definitely out.”
Today, the Lightning announced that Kucherov underwent an undisclosed procedure on Tuesday and will be out approximately 8-10 weeks.
Kucherov, 28, missed the 2020-21 regular season following hip surgery in December. He returned with a flourish in the playoffs, recording 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) in 23 games to help the Lightning repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
It is unsure if this current surgery is any way related.
Kucherov won the Hart Memorial Trophy, Art Ross Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2018-19 after scoring a career-high 41 goals and leading the league in assists (87) and points (128).
He has four points (one goal, three assists) in three games this season and 551 points (222 goals, 329 assists) in 518 career games since making his debut in 2013.
Kucherov signed an eight-year, $76 million contract extension in July 2018.
–Field Level Media contributed to this report