"I don't expect ... 'Kuch,' what'd he miss, 56 games last year? That's not happening this time," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Tuesday. "But he's a huge part of our team and the fabric of our team. So when he's around, it's just good for everybody here. Good for him, good for us. Anytime he's giving guys pointers, people listen. I assume that'll happen."
Kucherov did not play the final 9:08 of a 2-1 overtime win against the Washington Capitals on Saturday, and missed a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. The forward scored four points (one goal, three assists) in three games this season.
"It's definitely not a day-to-day thing, so we'll wait until we get an official word, but he's definitely out," Cooper said Monday. "He's going to be out for a while here. We're not going to put a timetable on it until we get an official word. In the short term here he's definitely out."
Kucherov, who did not play last regular season while recovering from hip surgery, led the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) to help the Lightning win the Stanley Cup for the second straight season.
Kucherov scored 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 25 playoff games in 2019-20 and became the sixth player to lead the postseason in scoring (without a tie) in consecutive seasons (Mario Lemieux, 1991-92; Wayne Gretzky, 1987-88; Rick MacLeish, 1974-75; Phil Esposito, 1969-70; Howie Morenz, 1924-25).
"Frustrating more for him because I just know the work it took for him to get back," Cooper said. "He was rewarded in the end with hoisting the Stanley Cup again, but I know he was looking forward to having a big year. As I said, it's still early on here, so let's see what the official diagnosis is, but anytime he misses one game it's frustrating for him, and so I feel for him. Again, let's wait and see what happens."
Forward Corey Perry replaced Kucherov on the top line with Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point.
"Losing a guy like that ... and I don't know, I haven't talked to anybody about what's going on ... but yeah, it's a big hole," said Perry, who signed a two-year contract with the Lightning on July 29. "He's a big part of this team. But they did it last year without him. They found a way. Everybody bought into the system, he came, he got healthy and away they went. It's just a matter of finding that little bit of depth and that little bit of courage to pick him up."
NHL.com independent correspondent Corey Long contributed to this report
