Kucherov had surgery on his right hip Dec. 29 and has been on long-term injured reserve. BriseBois said the forward began skating this week, including joining the Lightning for part of their morning skate Saturday before a 6-3 home win against the Nahsville Predators.
"I fully expect that he'll be able to contribute come playoff time and hopefully add a little oomph to our team," BriseBois said. "I don't know there is anything that any team can do at the [NHL Trade] Deadline [April 12] that would be as impactful as adding Nikita Kucherov to our group."
BriseBois said the Lightning likely will not be making any moves prior to the deadline because they have no space under the NHL salary cap of $81.5 million and know they're going to add Kucherov.
"We went into this season knowing that probably our only addition this year would be Nikita coming back for us during the playoffs," BriseBois said. "Hopefully we can do a good job securing a playoff spot."
Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Saturday that it was nice to see Kucherov on the ice, even though he knows he is far from being ready to play.
"[Kucherov] is a big part of our team, so anytime we can have him around it's great for us," Cooper said. "Especially coming off that road trip and being able to see that, 'Hey, progress is being made.' He's starting to feel a little bit better. Is he far away from doing the things he usually does out there? Yes, but just to have him with the guys ... that's why we have a close group. Everyone loves being around each other."
Lightning forward Brayden Point, who had a similar procedure on his hip last season, said it's good for Kucherov at this point in his recovery to be on the ice.
"There's only so much you can do with having your hips out of it," Point said. "There's a lot of cardio and strength buildup. In saying that it's just good to get out there once you've been off that long so I think that's a really positive step for 'Kuch.' But yeah, there's work to be done and I don't think anyone is going to rush him. And whenever he's ready to go we'll be glad to have him back."
The Lightning and Florida Panthers lead the Discover Central Division, with Tampa Bay having played one fewer game.
Kucherov was the Lightning's leading scorer in each of the previous five seasons, including 85 points (33 goals, 52 assists) in 68 games last season and leading the NHL with 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 25 playoff games to help Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup.
He won the Hart Trophy voted as NHL MVP, the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer, and the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players' Association in 2018-19, when he scored 128 points (41 goals, 87 assists) in 82 games.
"He's following the schedule very methodically, following the protocol and working hard with our therapists to get his range of motion back, get his strength back," BriseBois said Friday. "Now he's skating so it's getting those muscles to start firing up again. It is a process. It's a long rehab. It's a significant injury. But many hockey players have gone through it, including some of our players in years past, Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde to mention two of them. As of now everything indicates that he is right on track and he'll make a full recovery. When I see him every now and then his spirits are high and he's itching to get back playing again and ramping up what he's allowed to do."
NHL.com independent correspondent Corey Long contributed to this report
