Theo Grant had spent his entire surgical career chasing precision under pressure. At thirty-six, he had earned respect in Boston as the calm hand in the OR, the surgeon who could fix a torn labrum or a shattered ACL and have the player back on the ice ahead of schedule. But the move to Minnesota had forced him to start over—new hospital, new team, new eyes watching his every cut.

The first six months had been a grind.

Larger ORs, more politics, colleagues who still whispered “he’s here ...