Just 60 days after having surgery to stabilize fractures to both the tibia and fibula in his left leg, Mikhail Sergachev joined the Tampa Bay Lightning for practice Monday morning at AMALIE Arena.
Wearing a red, no-contact jersey, Sergachev received a big round of applause from his teammates at the start of practice and was able to participate in some flow drills on the fourth defense pair alongside Calvin de Haan.
“I felt good,” said Sergachev. “I loved it. Being out there with the guys, it’s much better than just being by myself on the ice or with a couple guys.
“I just wanted to get out there just to see where I’m at speed-wise, not just the legs, but thinking and stuff like that.”
Sergachev has skated in 34 games with the Bolts this season, scoring two goals and adding 17 assists for 19 points while averaging 22:33 time on ice per game. The defenseman credited Tampa Bay’s training staff for the progress he’s made during his recovery.
“We have a great team of trainers who work really hard to make sure we’re feeling comfortable going out there,” Sergachev said. “When injuries happen, they stay with us and work, so I don’t think I’m surprised. We did everything right.
“I’m still not back, so I can’t really tell how long it’s going to take me to get back, but so far it’s been good.”
As someone who has been through multiple significant injuries during his career, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos shared his perspective following Monday’s practice.
“That was nice to see,” Stamkos said. “When a guy gets injured, especially the way that happened in the season that he’s unfortunately had, it’s these little moments that are big steps in the road to recovery.
“You could tell everyone was excited. He had a big smile on his face. There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes from not only Sergy, but our staff here.
“It’s kind of a proud moment for everybody. You can kind of see the light at the end of that tunnel. It’s not easy, so it was big to see him out there.
“The mental aspect of it, it’s tough. The physical side is one thing. The pain, the suffering, you know that stuff’s going to heal. But mentally, when you haven’t gone through something like that, there’s some tough days. I know there was for Sergy too.
“But to see where he is now and how excited he is to get out there with the guys, it’s an important part of his next steps.”
Now in his seventh career season with Tampa Bay, Sergachev already ranks second among all defensemen in Lightning franchise history for both points (257) and assists (209) through 471 games with Tampa Bay.
Among all defensemen in Bolts franchise history, the former first-round pick also ranks second in blocked shots (670) and takeaways (154), third in hits (662) and fifth in both goals (48) and power-play points (84).
“When you’re battling injuries like this, you’re usually not with the team when they’re on the road,” said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. “I think it’s obviously a confidence booster and morale booster for both us and him.
“Baby steps. He’s still got a long way to go, but it was great to have him out there.”
Beyond his regular-season accolades, Sergachev has played a big role in Tampa Bay’s postseasonsuccess as well. His 98 games, nine goals, 24 assists and 33 points in the playoffs are all the second-most by any defenseman in Lightning franchise history.
Beyond that, there are only two active defensemen across the entire NHL with more Stanley Cup rings than Sergachev’s two.
With five games remaining in the regular season, Sergachev obviously won’t be making a return to the lineup before the postseason begins. It also sounds like Round One is out of the question. But if the Lightning can make a deep playoff run, there’s still hope for a possible return this season.
“I mean, yeah, I’m trying to come back as fast as possible, but you never know with injuries,” said Sergachev. “It’s gone up and down. It’s kind of a roller coaster. One day you feel good. The other day it hurts. We’ll see.”
“He’s making progress, but don’t read into it that he’s going to be a First Round playoff participant, because he won’t be,” Cooper added. “But who knows? We win a round or two, never say never.
“Like I said, great to have him out there. You forget how much you miss him. He’s an awesome kid to have on the team.”
