Lightning's Steven Stamkos: Progressing, but no timetable for return

For the first time since having his right knee scoped on Nov. 17, Stamkos -- who had been working in limited capacity for three weeks -- was able to practice fully Friday, NHL.com's Corey Long reports.

Analysis:

While that's a solid milestone for Tampa Bay's captain in his quest to return to game action, coach Jon Cooper indicated that "by no means does this [mean Stamkos'] return is imminent." That's a notion Stamkos echoes. "[I will be back] when I feel 100 percent, obviously that's not the case yet," Stamkos acknowledged Friday. "I can't pick a date because I might not feel 100 percent on that date. I've gone through stuff like this before. You start setting dates, that's when sometimes you set unrealistic goals. When I feel 100 percent I'll be back playing. I want that to be sooner than later, but that's how these injuries go."