The forward has not played since he was injured Oct. 16 in a 2-1 overtime win against the Washington Capitals. He scored four points (one goal, three assists) in three games this season and was expected to be out 8-10 weeks after the surgery.
"It was good to see him out there. He has to get out on the ice at some point," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "This does not trigger anything new on his timeline. He's still quite a ways off, but it's great to have him out here with the guys."
Kucherov did not play last regular season while recovering from hip surgery. He returned for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and led the postseason with 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) in 23 games to help the Lightning win the Stanley Cup for a second straight season.
"Frustrating more for him because I just know the work it took for him to get back," Cooper said after the injury. "He was rewarded in the end with hoisting the Stanley Cup again, but I know he was looking forward to having a big year. … Anytime he misses one game it's frustrating for him, and so I feel for him."
Tampa Bay is also without forward Brayden Point, who was expected to be out 4-6 weeks after sustaining an upper-body injury in a 5-3 loss at the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 20. He scored 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 16 games.
The Lightning, who defeated the Boston Bruins 3-2 in overtime on Saturday, are 8-2-1 in their past 10 games and 5-1-1 without Point.
"Can you replace players that are regarded as top 10 players in the league? No, those guys don't just fall out of the sky," Cooper said after Point was injured. "I think what replaces them is the collective group, our confidence in our structure, the mentality in how we play the game."
