Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos may not have a return date set in stone just yet, but he is definitely making strides towards getting back out on the ice.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has been forced to deal with an inordinate amount of injuries all season long. Thankfully, as the season progressed, the Lightning started to catch a break injury-wise and begun easing a majority of the injured players back into the lineup where they once again found their groove.
Unfortunately, on Thursday night at the Amalie Arena, the injury bug decided it hadn’t finished feeding off the Bolts (and the hopes of their fans) just yet. As the Tampa Bay Lightning swiftly defeated the Minnesota Wild, it came at the cost of not one, not two, but three of the Lightning’s centers.
Now, the Tampa Bay Lightning is faced with a rather interesting conundrum. Which players do they have in their arsenal who can help the team stay on the right track and continue working towards their ultimate goal of postseason play? Well…there is one answer, but there is no guarantee he is going to be ready immediately.
Tampa Bay Lightning
As almost every Lightning fan knows by now, the 2016-17 season came to an abrupt halt for Lightning captain Steven Stamkos back on November 15th when he was involved in an awkward fall during a game against the Detroit Red Wings. Just 24 hours later, it would be announced the captain would be out indefinitely as the medical staff ascertained what the next steps would be in his recovery.
Unfortunately, just one day after this, it was announced Steven Stamkos would be forced to miss 4-6 months after undergoing surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. Strictly mathematically, and leaving all medical possibilities aside, the earliest Stamkos would be able to return would be March 16th.
If this were to come to pass, which we’re not saying it will, it would be rather ironic considering the Lightning are set to play the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team that vied so heartily for his affections in the off-season.
While we are quickly approaching the four-month mark, the Tampa Bay Lightning has yet to put any sort of assurances behind any specific date in which Stammer may return to the ice. In fact, just recently, Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper said the team wasn’t even to a point where they could put a date on him.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything wrong with Stamkos or his recovery process. Actually, judging by what we saw earlier today, it would seem quite the opposite.
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Thanks to Tampa Bay Lightning Beat Writer Bryan Burns, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos was at practice this morning. While this is nothing new, there were a few things which separated this particular event from the many that came before it. One of the most obvious is the color of his jersey.
Rather than being in a red, no-contact jersey, Stamkos took the ice today in a grey jersey. While this is not as good as seeing him back in Lightning Blue, it is definitely a step in the right direction. At the same time, this is not the only thing separating today’s event from those which have come to pass before.
Instead of working out on his own, Stamkos was teaming up with Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov to work on some passing and shooting drills. Lightning fans will be delighted to know, the captain is starting to look more and more like his old self every day.
As we said previously, there has been no official word from the Tampa Bay Lightning or anyone else who would be in the know regarding an official return date for the 27-year-old Lightning captain. At the same time, watching him make strides like the one we witnessed today is definitely a step in the right direction.
As always, the absolute last thing we want is for Stamkos to come back before he is one hundred percent sure his body is healed and he is ready to hit the ice at one hundred percent efficiency. Doing so would not only be a detriment to the team, but to his long-term career and quality of life.
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At the same time, the Tampa Bay Lightning could really use some help up front right now; especially from a skilled center like Steven Stamkos. Here’s hoping the hockey gods smile upon the Tampa Bay Lightning and Stamkos is able to make a return as the Lightning battle for postseason positioning.