Just one day before the Lightning host the Montreal Canadiens, the team will get their captain back. Coach Jon Cooper said Saturday that Victor Hedman has rejoined the group following a leave of absence and will travel for the series. “Vic’s been around us,” said Cooper. “He’s slowly starting to get some ice time and stuff like that and get himself, hopefully, back. We love having him around, because he’s our captain and he’s a wealth of experience. He’s going to be with us on this trip.” Hedman was placed on long-term injured reserve following a March 25 announcement that he would be taking a temporary leave of absence for personal reasons. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/latest-news/through-adversity-lightning-keep-eyes-on-the-postseason] “One of the best D-men over the last 10 years,” Andrei Vasilevskiy said Saturday. “Super consistent, great captain, great personality. Unfortunately, he’s not with us at the moment. But he’s around the locker room, giving all of his support. And we’ll feel that even though he’s not on the ice. We definitely feel his support, so that’s huge for the team.” Cooper did not indicate when Hedman would return to the lineup, although it could still take some time as the defenseman continues working his way back to game form. “He’s going to be with us, probably not available right now,” Cooper said. “And it’s playoff time, so we keep those things close to the vest.” Hedman has had to navigate a difficult stretch of injuries this season, one that has been challenging to process. He first missed 12 games with an elbow injury before returning briefly, only for the issue to require surgery that sidelined him from Nov. 12 to Jan. 29. He made his return during the NHL Stadium Series game on Feb. 1 and played in the Lightning’s two games that week. Hedman later represented Sweden in the Olympics but was unable to play in the quarterfinal. He appeared in 12 games following the break, averaging 17:30 of ice time until March 19 in Vancouver, when he logged just 4:44 of ice time before exiting early. The 35-year-old played just 33 regular-season games, scoring one goal with 17 points while averaging 18:52 of ice time this season. He brings years of postseason experience, including two Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.
