I don't know how common it actually is, but you sometimes hear about players avoiding surgeries throughout their careers and going the "pain management" route, which can be dangerous.
I am not sure if this would be the case with Kucherov, but if ever there was a year to bite the bullet and use the time to heal instead of playing, this is it.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
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