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TAMPA, Fla – Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois confirmed on Tuesday that star forward Nikita Kucherov played in the Stanley Cup final with an undisplaced rib fracture.
Kucherov was injured in a countercheck in Game 6 of the Conference Final against the New York Islanders.
“He played in a bulletproof vest from that point on and also had a nerve block injection the day before every game,” said BriseBois. “It makes his performance during these playoffs both pre-injury and post-rib fracture all the more impressive.”
After missing the entire regular season with right hip surgery, Kucherov led the NHL in playoff points with 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists).
“He’s a tough hockey player, he’s an incredible hockey player,” said BriseBois. “There is no player more determined than Nikita Kucherov.”
The Lightning won their second straight Stanley Cup, beating the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 last week.
Star defenseman Victor Hedman played the entire playoff season with a meniscus tear on March 30.
BriseBois said Hedman, a perennial Norris Trophy contender as the league’s top defenseman, was due to undergo proceedings on Tuesday with an expected three to four week downtime.
Forward Barclay Goodrow and defenseman Ryan McDonagh both played in the playoffs with broken hands.
Forward Alex Killorn broke his leg blocking a shot in Game 1 of the Final, had a rod inserted three days later and two days later resumed skating in an attempt to come back before the end of the series.
“That’s how you win a Stanley Cup,” said a moved BriseBois. “All the competitions due to injury, it was exceptional and so inspiring to watch the inbound and outbound games.”
BriseBois faces serious problem building a roster for next season due to salary cap issues as Tampa Bay seeks a triple round.
“Going forward, I expect us to remain a Stanley Cup contender,” said BriseBois. “We have a list of Stanley Cup winners. Our challenge in maintaining this list is the salary cap. We’re going to have to be creative.
The Lightning used 20 players in this season’s finale, with all rings winning except three the year before. The only exceptions were rookie Ross Colton, who scored the only goal in the 1-0 Stanley Cup victory; acquisition of the David Savard key transaction deadline; and Mathieu Joseph, who filled in and contributed to the final after Killorn broke his leg.
“The reality is that I would like to bring this team back exactly as it is, the reality is we won’t be able to do it,” said BriseBois. “Before I can even bring back some of our unrestricted free agents, I need to free up some space to keep the guys who are on contract.
Key contributors Goodrow and Blake Coleman are unrestricted free agents. There’s also plans to expand Seattle’s new franchise later this month.
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