Victor Hedman will take the ice this season for the Tampa Bay Lightning as the longest-tenured player on the team. It will be his 16th with the club and his first without his long-time teammate, Steven Stamkos. At the start of free agency on July 1, after it became apparent that he and the Lightning would not be able to get a deal done, he signed with the Nashville Predators for four years, $32 million.
While Stamkos’ impact on the ice speaks for itself, as Hedman put it, he will also miss the Stamkos he knows off the ice.
“We’re going to miss the player Steven Stamkos,” the 33-year-old defenseman said at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour. “But me personally, obviously, more as a friend … going to be a big change.”
The two were drafted only a year apart. They grew up together, going back to when they were both 19 years old – almost half their lives.
It’s a change no doubt.
However, Hedman quickly emphasized that everyone has to keep looking forward to what’s next.
“We know exactly what he’s accomplished,” Hedman said. “We’re not going to forget about those memories we created together, but we have to look forward. It’s important with training camp coming up that we get together quickly and bond as a group.”
Hedman was inked to an extension a day later. He received the exact same deal as his former teammate.
General manager Julien BriseBois and company made moves to retool the staff over the summer. It had to be done. But whether or not these changes were for the better is, obviously, yet to be determined. A big part of that is showing that can win without Stamkos.
Even with the former captain heading to Nashville, the 2020 Conn Smythe winner thinks the Lightning still have plenty left in the tank.
Related: How Will the Lightning Losing Steven Stamkos Impact Nikita Kucherov?
“That’s everyone’s goal, obviously, going into the season, but it feels like we have the team to be a contender,” he said.
It’s going to be tougher than in years past with other teams in the Atlantic showing signs they’re going to contend, and Hedman understands that.
“You look at our division, it’s super tough,” Hedman said. “It feels like the past few years it’s been us, Florida, Boston and Toronto. Now you have to throw in Ottawa, Montreal, Buffalo. Montreal is getting better. And Detroit. I just mentioned all the teams in our division, they are all getting better. So, for us, we have to hit the ground running, that’s the bottom line.”
Until proven otherwise, it’s going to be hard to justify counting out the Lightning. As much as they struggled last season, they still found their way into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Hedman On Potentially Being the Next Captain
It’s highly likely that Hedman will be the next captain of the Lightning. He spoke of the honor it would be to wear the ‘C’ while keeping a humble tone.
“I wouldn’t change the way I am, the way I do things, if I have a ‘C’ or an ‘A’ on my jersey,” he said. “But it is a privilege to be a captain in the National Hockey League…We’ll cross that bridge when it comes to that.”
He’s long proven to have the leadership abilities to be captain. He’s stepped up on the biggest stages – after all, he won that aforementioned Conn Smythe Award. He’s well-spoken and knows the team inside and out.
In 1,052 career games, all with the team that drafted him in 2009, Hedman has 156 goals and 572 assists for 728 points. He’s still one of the top defensemen in the league, finishing sixth in the Norris Trophy voting last season.
The 2024-25 NHL season is quickly approaching with the preseason less than two weeks away. Whether he is captain or not, Hedman is ready for business as usual. That business is competing to win the Stanley Cup.
