The Lightning are already getting their star winger Nikita Kucherov back in practice. Kucherov has been injured all year and was not scheduled to come back until the start of the playoffs, so his early return is good news for the Lightning, but it’s complicated. The Lightning cannot play him in the regular season because they cannot afford his cap hit so the EARLIEST he can return is the first round of the playoffs. This seems a little odd. There was a similar case a couple of years back when Patrick Kane returned for the Blackhawks in the playoffs, but he had at least played some games in the year, so he was on the active roster at some point.
Central Division Weekly Roundup: Look Out for the Red Wings
