Lightning captain Victor Hedman hasn’t played a game for Tampa Bay since March 19. Now, as he prepares to play in his 18th NHL season with the organization, Hedman sat down with NHL.com’s Dan Rosen to discuss his health, his time away from the team and his outlook heading into the 2026-27 season.
"For me, it's just feeling healthy and feeling like my body is where I want it to be," Hedman said on Tuesday. "You're on the ice every day, you're in the gym and you feel good, and that makes, obviously, the mental part easier too when you feel you can perform in your job to the fullest extent. I'm sure it's going to take me a few games to get back into the rhythm of playing in the League since I haven't played in a long time, but I'm super fresh, hungry and super motivated to go out there and play my best hockey."
Hedman played just 4:44 against the Vancouver Canucks before making the decision to return to Tampa and step away from the team.
"I felt it was important for me to do to get a handle on everything mentally and physically," Hedman said. "Someone told me that for good leaders sometimes doing the right thing for the team is to kind of step away. I thought that was the right decision for me. I wasn't myself on the ice."
The 35-year-old was dealing with performance anxiety, with the pressure becoming especially difficult on game days. Rather than continue to push through it, Hedman made the decision to step away and focus on getting himself right.
After everything he went through last season, Hedman enters the new season with a positive outlook and high expectations as he looks to get back to his normal level of play.
"I have zero doubt in my mind,” Hedman told Rosen. “I haven't played a game since obviously March, but for me at this point I know what it takes to be good in this league. I've had a great summer and I feel great going into camp."
