The Tampa Bay Lightning welcomed their captain back to the ice on Friday, as Steven Stamkos participated in full team practice for the first time since undergoing knee surgery in November.
Stamkos, who has been skating for the past three weeks, officially made his return to full team drills by skating alongside Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point on the club’s first line.
The 27-year-old tore his lateral meniscus on Nov. 15 and had surgery two days later. The Lightning initially suggested a minimum four-month absence—a mark passed Thursday—for the centreman, but haven’t put a date on his return just yet.
“When it’s 100 per cent, I’ll be back,” Stamkos told reporters after practice. “It’s a question I can’t answer. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in this rehab process, where it feels like it’s never going to get better. Then you have a week where it goes through the roof in regards to how you’re feeling.
“I’ll be playing when it feels ready. And I can’t say it feels ready right now. But it was a start.”
The team doesn’t know if they’ll have No. 91 back in the lineup before the Stanley Cup Playoffs—or even if the franchise will be playing past the regular season. Tampa is currently sitting just one point outside of the post-season picture after losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
Stamkos had nine goals and 11 assists in 17 games before going down with the injury.
