The Tampa Bay Lightning announced on Wednesday that captain Victor Hedman is taking a temporary leave of absence for personal reasons. The team provided no additional information and urged respect for Hedman's privacy.
The 35-year-old defenseman has already missed the team's last three games after exiting a March 19 matchup against the Vancouver Canucks due to illness, skating for just 4:44.
The absence adds to a season disrupted by injuries that have restricted Hedman to 33 of 70 games. An undisclosed injury in November kept him out for nearly a month, followed by an elbow injury that required surgery in mid-December, keeping him out until Feb. 1. He returned for the NHL Stadium Series and later represented Sweden internationally but missed a quarterfinal game against the United States men's national ice hockey team after sustaining a lower-body injury during warmups. He managed only one assist in five Olympic games.
Despite Hedman averaging less than 19 minutes per game, his lowest in 17 NHL seasons, and contributing 17 points (1 goal, 16 assists) and a minus-1 rating, Tampa Bay has stayed competitive, going 27-7-3 without him and 2-0-1 in the three games immediately preceding the announcement.
The Lightning holds a 44-21-5 record and sits second in the Atlantic Division with 93 points, trailing the Buffalo Sabres by two points while holding a game in hand. Playoff qualification is virtually secured, with strong contributions from players like scoring leader Nikita Kucherov and defenseman Darren Raddysh.
A franchise mainstay, Hedman leads all Tampa Bay defensemen in games played (1,164), goals (172), assists (639), and points (811). The 2018 James Norris Memorial Trophy winner also helped lead the team to Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021 and took home the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2020.
