Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman has some new competition entering the 2025-26 season, and his health will be a huge factor in the team's success.
Since he entered the NHL in 2009, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman has logged a lot of miles on his competitive odometer.
The Swedish blueliner has won two Stanley Cups, one Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs, and a Norris Trophy as the league's top blueliner. There's really nothing he has to prove to anyone.
That said, it's clear all those years have taken a major toll on Hedman's body.
At 35, he's played 1,164 regular-season games and another 170 post-season games. Last season, Hedman was held off the ice for multiple reasons — including a personal leave of absence to deal with mental health issues — limiting him to only 33 regular-season games.
He also failed to play in any playoff games for the Bolts last year, which was certainly a contributing factor in Tampa Bay's first-round loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
His Lightning teammates and management are grateful for what he's been able to provide for the franchise, but it was also no coincidence GM Julien BriseBois went out this summer and signed 36-year-old John Carlson to a two-year contract.
Nobody is suggesting Carlson is there to replace Hedman, who reported to training camp telling media he's fully healthy and ready to go. If he is back in peak condition, the Lightning are going to have one of the NHL's best defense corps.
Father Time remains undefeated, and Hedman staying at 100 percent this season will be crucial to Tampa Bay staying at the top of the highly-competitive Atlantic Division.
Carlson will undoubtedly provide some competition for the team's quarterback spot on the top power-play unit, which was a role held by Darren Raddysh in Hedman's absence last season.
While Raddysh had a career year with nearly 40 percent of his points coming on the power play last season, the Lightning's special teams struggled as a whole. They dropped from having the fifth-best power play in 2024-25 to 17th last season.
Based on that immediate history alone it would seem having Hedman back at the helm for an entire season would bode well for the Lightning's competitive hopes.
But to Carlson's credit, he has spent years directing traffic with the man-advantage during his days with the Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks, and may provide a look that isn't as predictable as year's past.
While everyone who knows the affable Hedman wishes only the best for him, the Lightning's choice to bring in a high-end veteran like Carlson feels like at once an insurance move in case Hedman breaks down, and at the same time a way to ease Hedman into a lighter workload.
If Hedman gets anywhere close to the form we've been accustomed to seeing from him, he's only going to add to his legacy as one of the most accomplished defensemen of his generation.
But even many of the all-time greats wind up their career in a way that isn’t ideal, so Bolts fans need to steel themselves for the possibility he may no longer be able to do the things that had always come so easily to him.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
