Nikita Kucherov’s return to the playoffs is certainly timely for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but this one isn’t for everyone. Saturday, the general manager Julien BriseBois defended his choice, arguing that everything had been done in the rules.
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The Russian, who was placed on the pre-regular season long-term injury list with hip surgery in December, leads the National Hockey League (NHL) scorers in the playoffs.
Since payroll no longer counts in the playoff schedule, a return of Kucherov to the roster has been possible, although the Lightning now exceeds the milestone by nearly $ 18 million.
This situation disturbs more than one, in particular the defenseman of the Carolina Hurricanes Dougie Hamilton, who had said his way of thinking following the elimination in five games of his team in the second round on Tuesday.
“I know that [la LNH] investigated Nikita Kucherov, and we have to be able to justify the operation, the rehabilitation time, the time of return, to be sure that everything was done in accordance with the rules and circumstances and these are the cards we have received. This is how we handled [la situation]”BriseBois told the media on Saturday, according to the sports site The Athletic.
Ideal scenario
Still, the GM confessed he was unsure how Kucherov’s case will progress during the season. The leading scorer in 2018-19 has shown no signs of slowing down, having already accumulated 18 points in 11 playoff games.
“Nikita was able to come back and perform at a high level. When we learned that Nikita would need an operation, we had to determine whether or not we put him on the bye list for the season, and I did not know what would happen next, ”said the Quebecer.
“Lucky for the organization and me, I don’t think it could have turned out in a better way. When I was studying the possible scenarios, none were as good as this one, ”added BriseBois.
Tampa Bay will continue the defense of its Stanley Cup title by hosting the New York Islanders on Sunday in Game 1 of their semi-final series.
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