Pittsburgh Penguins star defenseman Kris Letang suffered a stroke last Monday, the second one he's had during his NHL career. Naturally, Letang was listed as being out indefinitely by the Penguins, but the veteran was seen making some eye-opening progress in recent days. On Tuesday, just eight days after suffering the stroke, Letang was seen skating on the ice in full gear during the Penguins' morning skate, via Penguins Inside Scoop on Twitter.

Letang was out on the ice in full practice gear taking shots with assistant coach Ty Hennes. The Penguins are slated to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, but have made no indication as to whether or not Letang would be ready to play.

It would be a significant surprise if he was ready to return just eight days after suffering a stroke, but to see him back on the ice in full pads is an encouraging sight, to say the least.

Letang first suffered a stroke during the 2013-14 season. He missed 26 games as a result of that incident but was able to return to the Penguins before the end of the regular season. The Penguins have indicated that this stroke is not as significant as the one he suffered in 2014.

Kris Letang had been seen skating in the days leading up to Tuesday, but he's taken another big step in putting on his full gear.

On the season, the 35-year-old defenseman has featured in 21 games, scoring one goal and adding 11 assists while skating a team-high 23:54 per game.