• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning History

Countdown to Puck Drop — Day 77 — Victor Hedman’s Norris Trophy Season

By Steve Marowski July 17th, 2019

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Introducing The Hockey Writers’ Countdown to Puck Drop series. From now until the puck drops on the 2019-20 NHL’s regular season on Oct. 2 when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Ottawa Senators, we’ll be producing content that’s connected to the number of days remaining on that particular day. Some posts may be associated with a player’s number, while others will be connected to a year or length of time. We’re really excited about this series as we take you through the remainder of summer in anticipation of the return of NHL hockey.

Related: Hedman Vital to Bolts Success

With 77 days left until the 2019-20 season kicks off, here’s a look at the Tampa Bay Lightning’s No. 77, Victor Hedman and his Norris Trophy-winning season of 2017-18.

Hedman Before the Norris Trophy

Hedman was taken second overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and cracked the starting lineup in his first season. He was only 19 but still had 20 points and averaged almost 21 minutes per game. His next three seasons were much of the same. However, at age 23 in 2013-14, Hedman had a breakout campaign with 55 points in 75 games.

Victor Hedman
Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Since 2013-14, Hedman has scored at least 10 goals and 38 points in every season. His presence as a big body and fluid skater opened a lot of eyes, and many predicted he would one day win the Norris.

Related: Victor Hedman Will Win the Norris

The Norris Trophy Season

Hedman was named to his first All-Star game in 2016-17, also the first season he was selected as a finalist for the Norris Trophy. Though he lost to San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns that year, he came back with a vengeance in 2017-18 with 16 goals and 56 assists. He also increased his average time-on-ice by nearly a minute and a half as he quarterbacked the Lightning power play.

The 2017-18 season was a career year for Hedman in multiple categories including goals, plus/minus, even-strength goals, shot attempts, time on ice (TOI), average TOI and hits. According to NHL.com, Hedman appeared on 163 of 164 ballots and had 94 first-place votes to beat out Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban to win his first Norris. Among NHL defensemen that season, Hedman was fifth in scoring and power-play scoring, and his 25:51 average TOI ranked fifth in the league.

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Victor Hedman (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Hedman became the first defenseman in Lightning history to win the Norris, and though he was considered by many to be one of the top blueliners in the league beforehand, winning the award validated how good he is at his position. His best game in the 2017-18 season came at home against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 3. In that game, Hedman had four points, including one on the power play and a sharp-angle goal off of Valtteri Filppula, but his best goal in that game was a slap shot that he ripped past goaltender Petr Mrazek.

In the replay of the goal, the Flyers made a bad change that allowed Hedman to jump into the middle of the ice and get an uncontested shot away. However, many defensemen would have stayed at the blue line for a pass to set up offense. In this instance, Hedman saw an opening and was ready to fire a shot away that beat Mrazek through the five hole.

Hedman was fifth on the Lightning in points in 2017-18 and the next closest Lightning defenseman was Mikhail Sergachev with 40. He also had a point in 32 of the Lightning’s 51 regular season wins, which shows how important he is to the team’s offense. He also had a point in 18 of the Lightning’s 29 wins at home and 14 of their 22 wins on the road.

In the 2017-18 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Hedman didn’t have a single point in the first round against the New Jersey Devils, but the Lightning won that series, 4-1. However, he had at least one point in every game against the Boston Bruins in the second round, and the Lightning also won that round, 4-1. In the Lightning’s seven-game series loss to the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Final, Hedman had at least one point in each of the first three games, including a three-point effort in Game 3, but was blanked for the final four games of the series.

The point here is this: when Hedman is on the score sheet, the Lightning have a better chance of winning. In this era of the NHL, most Norris Trophy nominees are both great offensively and defensively, and he succeeds at both. Teams that can shut him down offensively have a better chance of winning, but he’s good enough to adapt his game to be twice as strong defensively when he can’t get the offense going. The defensemen who can do this — the Burns, the Karlssons and the Hedmans of the NHL — are Norris Trophy defensemen.

Hedman Becoming a Veteran

Hedman has 10 NHL seasons under his belt and, given his individual success, he’s a player that many young players can learn from as they enter the NHL. The Lightning have a few young defensemen who will form their defensive core over the next five to 10 years including Sergachev, Cernak and prospects like Cal Foote and Dominik Masin.

Hedman is known for being a big body who can skate as well as any player in the NHL, but it’s the intangibles he can offer to the young talent that make him a great leader and mentor. Many of the best defensemen in the league are experts at knowing when to jump into the rush and when to fall back to play shut-down defense.

Hedman has mastered this craft over the course of 10 seasons, but it did not come overnight. It arguably took him between four and six seasons to fully understand how to balance his offensive and defensive skills, but he can cut learning time that in half for Foote, Masin and other Lightning defense prospects simply by teaching them about the ins and outs of playing defense in the NHL.

Tampa Bay Lightning Victor Hedman Washington Capitals Braden Holtby
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman scores in overtime against Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Even if Hedman hadn’t won the Norris Trophy, he would still be considered an elite defenseman. However, having that validation as the best defenseman in the NHL only makes his presence — both literally and figuratively — feel that much bigger. As he continues to be the No. 1 defenseman on the Lightning, it will only benefit the organization as a whole as their prospects learn how to play defense at a high level from one of the best in the game today.

  • Tags
  • 2019 Countdown to Puck Drop
  • Norris Trophy
  • Victor Hedman
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 24th 6:15 PM
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Find Success Against Red Wings

Jan 24th 6:10 PM
Column

Canadiens’ News & Rumours: Hot Start, Armia, Mete & More

Jan 24th 6:00 PM
Column

Senators News & Rumours: Road Trip, Lineups, Stützle & More

Jan 24th 5:50 PM
Other Leagues

Windsor Spitfires’ Notebook: NHL Players to Watch & Overseas Ice

Jan 24th 3:25 PM
Montreal Canadiens

3 Takeaways From Canadiens’ 5-2 Win Over Canucks

Jan 24th 3:15 PM
Montreal Canadiens

Prospects News & Rumors: Michigan, Gushchin & Gordin

Jan 24th 3:05 PM
New York Rangers

Rangers News & Rumors: Chytil, Dubois Traded, Lafreniere & More

Jan 24th 2:55 PM
Buffalo Sabres

Sabres Getting the Best of Curtis Lazar

Jan 24th 2:05 PM
New Jersey Devils

Devils Are in Good Hands With Jack Hughes

Jan 24th 1:35 PM
San Jose Sharks

Sharks Seeing Offense From Erik Karlsson But Defense Is Lacking

Editor’s Picks
2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

Wayne Gretzky Almost Joined the Detroit Red Wings

Wayne Gretzky Almost Joined the Detroit Red Wings

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information