TAMPA, Fla. -- Even though Victor Hedman won't be available for the start of the Lightning's postseason run, the team will have its captain back as he begins to work his way toward an on-ice return.
On the eve of Tampa Bay's playoff opener, coach Jon Cooper said Saturday that Hedman has rejoined the team following a leave of absence and will be with it throughout its first-round series against Montreal.
"Vic's been around us," Cooper said. "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."
Cooper left the door open for a possible Hedman return during the playoffs, something that would become more likely the deeper the Lightning advance.
"As we all know, 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 played in just 33 games this season, the fewest in his 17-year NHL career. He last played on March 19 in Vancouver, skating just 4:44 over six shifts before sitting out the final two periods.
After the game, Cooper said Hedman "wasn't feeling well." The defenseman didn't play in the following three games, the team attributing his absence to illness, before it announced on March 25 that he would be taking a temporary leave of absence for personal reasons.
Hedman wasn't around the team until recently and has resumed skating under team supervision.
"One of the best D-men over the last 10 years," Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy said. "Super consistent, great captain, great personality. Unfortunately, he's not with us at the moment. But he's around the locker room, given 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."
Hedman's season has been riddled by injury.
He suffered an elbow injury that required surgery in December. He timed his procedure to ensure that he'd be able to play for Sweden in his first Olympic Games. He did so, returning for the Lightning's emotional comeback win over Boston in the Stadium Series game Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium.
But Sweden struggled in the Olympics and was eliminated with a quarterfinal-round loss to the United States. Hedman didn't play in the game after it was announced that he suffered a lower-body injury during warmups.
He was back on the ice quickly after returning to the Lightning and was in the lineup when the team resumed play following the Olympics break.
But on a blue line that flourished without him, it was difficult to find where Hedman fit. He started in a third-pairing role, and before he left the team Cooper was giving him his traditional top-pairing minutes.
Now, the Lightning’s defensive pairings are as solidified as ever, though the group isn’t as experienced as it’s been in the past. Outside of the top pairing of Ryan McDonagh (196 postseason games) and Erik Cernak (84 games), no member of the current eight-man defenseman rotation has more than Darren Raddysh’s 13 career playoff games. Rookie Charle-Edouard D’Astous will be making his postseason debut on Sunday.
Though he hasn't been on the ice much this season, Hedman brings 170 games of postseason experience. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2020, and he's seen both the ups and downs of the postseason.
"I've been here a long time, and he trumps me," Cooper said. "He's seen it all, and I think it's vital and it's great to have him around."