Tampa Bay Lightning fans and players, too, have reason to look forward to what lays ahead. Veteran defenceman and team captain Victor Hedman news from today is that he released a statement regarding his absence from the club. In it, he discusses why he is in the position he is in currently, and where it might go in the future. Let’s figure out the details.
Credit Image: © Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire
Victor Hedman News Update Regarding his Leave of Absence
For those that follow Tampa, you would know Hedman had a difficult season. He only appeared in 33 games for the Lightning. Furthermore, his 18:53 of ice time in those games, was his lowest average ice time by over two minutes, throughout his entire 17-year NHL career.
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) May 5, 2026
It seems that injuries have somewhat caught up with the 2018 Norris Trophy winner. Moreover, he has been banged up throughout his career, but never ended up missing a lot of time. Between 2015-16 and 2024-25 seasons, he never missed more than 12 Lightning games in a single season.
He has also played a lot of hard minutes. Throughout his regular season career, he is over 23 minutes a game. Then in his 170 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, that include two Stanley Cup Championships, he is almost at 25 minutes. Simply incredible.
How Did Hedman Get to this Point?
Through his career, he has been susceptible to lower-body injuries, including hip problems. Then this year, he required elbow surgery back in December that saw him miss around two months on the calendar. But then came today’s news, and perhaps it is a by-product of having a long and strenuous career. Today, Hedman confirmed the reason why he has been out of action most recently. He cited mental health as the reason.
From today’s Victor Hedman news, he was explaining that he has had the support of his family, the organization, and mental health professionals. He wants to be the best leader on the ice as the captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning, as well as a great family man, off the ice. He had felt he was unable to be there for everyone. Hence, his decision to step away from hockey. Now it seems that he is in a much better place, and willing to open up to release today’s statement.
Lightning and hockey fans can take this as a good sign to potentially see Hedman perform at his best, on the ice, in the future. There was no comment regarding his status to start next season, but the positivity is a very welcoming sign.
Credit Image: © Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire
