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Victor Hedman

Lightning Recall Declan Carlile, Victor Hedman Likely To Return

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The Lightning announced they’ve recalled defenseman Declan Carlile from AHL Syracuse. He was just sent down to the minors Sunday, along with Steven Santini. As the latter wasn’t recalled today, captain Victor Hedman will probably return tonight against the Blue Jackets after missing two games with a lower-body injury. Head coach Jon Cooper confirmed this to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.

Carlile, 24, will play if Hedman can’t go but sit in the press box if he can. The Michigan native is coming off his second career NHL appearance in Saturday’s win over the Kraken, scoring his first NHL goal while logging 11:10 of ice time. An undrafted free agent signing out of Merrimack College in 2022, Carlile is now an alternate captain with Syracuse and has three points with a +1 rating in 21 AHL appearances this season. The “stalwart rush defender,” as described by Elite Prospects, had a career-high 27 points in 61 games with Syracuse last season.

The 6’3″ left-shot defender is in the first season of a two-year, two-way extension he signed in June. He’ll remain waiver-exempt throughout 2024-25 but will require waivers next fall if the Lightning don’t list him on their opening night roster.

Not only did the Bolts manage to win their last two games without Hedman, they did so in rather dominant fashion with an 8-3 victory over Calgary and a 5-1 trouncing of Seattle. Dominant wins and close losses have been the norm for the Lightning this season – they have a division-best +30 goal differential but only a 16-10-2 record, placing them third in the Atlantic based on points percentage (.607).

In his first season as captain following the departure of Steven Stamkos, Hedman, a six-time All-Star, has 25 points and a +4 rating through 26 games. It’s safe to say the soon-to-be 34-year-old is up to his usual tricks, tying for sixth in the league in points by defensemen and ranking fourth in points per game with 0.96. Tampa has dominated possession with him on the ice at even strength, controlling 54.2% of shot attempts and 57.6% of expected goals.

The Bolts’ active roster count stands at 22 after recalling Carlile.

Lightning’s Victor Hedman Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury

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Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman has been announced as a surprise, last-minute scratch for the team’s Thursday game against Calgary. He’s been designated as out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider.

Hedman’s absence adds to a seemingly endless list of Tampa injuries. He joins fellow top-four defender Erik Cernak on the absentee list, on the same day that Tampa saw the return of forward Anthony Cirelli from a one-game absence. The trio of injuries come quickly after injuries Nikita Kucherov, Nick Paul, and Brayden Point.

But for all of the absences they’ve had to face, Hedman’s departure may be the most impactful. He’s confidently led the team in ice time, averaging over 23 minutes a game – roughly two minutes more than Brandon Hagel in second place. Hedman has scored a dazzling 25 points in 26 games, good for sixth in scoring among the league’s defensemen.

That scoring includes Hedman’s six points over his last five games. That production on the back end will be hard to replace, especially with Cernak out. Veteran depth defender Steven Santini is making his Bolts debut in Hedman’s absence, though it’ll likely be J.J. Moser who gets the biggest boost in minutes. Moser was acquired in Tampa’s summer trading of Mikhail Sergachev. Since then, Moser has since scored nine points in 26 games with Tampa Bay, while averaging 20 minutes of ice time. He’ll be backed on the left flank by veteran Ryan McDonagh and second-year pro Emil Martinsen Lilleberg.

Lightning Name Victor Hedman Captain

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The Lightning have wasted no time in naming Steven Stamkos’ successor to the captaincy. Defenseman Victor Hedman will take over as the 11th captain in franchise history, general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.

There was no other logical candidate to assume the role from Stamkos, who left for the Predators in free agency this summer after serving as Tampa Bay’s captain since 2013. Hedman is entering his 16th season with the Bolts and is only 30 games back of Stamkos’ franchise-record 1,082 games played. He’ll assume this record this season, barring a major injury.

“We are thrilled to have Victor leading our team as the 11th captain in franchise history,” BriseBois said. “Victor is a cornerstone player that is extremely well respected by his teammates, coaches and peers across the NHL. Over the past 15 seasons, he has been a world-class representative for our organization both on and off the ice. Victor embodies what it means to be a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and is more than ready for this exciting opportunity. We are looking forward to watching him flourish in his new role as we continue to work towards our goal of winning the Stanley Cup.”

Hedman, of course, has already helped Tampa achieve that goal. The six-time All-Star won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during the Lightning’s first of their back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020. The 2018 Norris Trophy winner signed a four-year, $32MM extension this summer to keep him off the open market in 2025.

While no longer a bonafide top-three defenseman in the league, Hedman is still an elite blue liner and did well to prove that his disappointing 2022-23 campaign was a fluke. The 33-year-old rebounded in a big way last season with 63 assists and 76 points in 78 games, the second-best season of his career offensively. He added on a team-high +18 rating and was once again their leader in average ice time at 24:48 per game.

He’s by far the best defenseman in Lightning history, holding franchise records among D-men in goals (156), assists (572), points (728), and rating (+175) – all by a wide margin. The hulking 6’7″, 244-lb Swede was the second overall pick in the 2009 draft, one year after the Lightning selected Stamkos first overall to kickstart their late-2000s rebuild that’s still paying dividends.

Nikita Kucherov will continue serving as an alternate captain as he has since 2022, the team confirmed. Ryan McDonagh will also wear an ’A’ in his return to Tampa after two years with the Predators. He previously served as an alternate captain with the Bolts from 2019-20 to 2021-22.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Poll: Who Will Be The NHL’s Next Captain?

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August is finally here, marking the time of year when teams reconvene at their home rink and begin hardy planning for the upcoming season. That step will come with extra work for the six teams around the league who don’t currently have a captain.

Many of these teams, including Seattle, Anaheim, and Utah, have gone years without a captain – instead opting to disseminate responsibilities among multiple assistant captains. All three teams are amidst staunch rebuilds – with Utah even mapping out relocation – and are likely waiting for their top prospects to take a few more steps before earning the role. The trio of Matthew Beniers, Leo Carlsson, and Logan Cooley seem prime for that ascension with their respective teams, though they each have multiple challengers lining up behind them. The Buffalo Sabres are in a similar grouping, as they transition from a veteran-laden lineup to one of the league’s youngest rosters.

The Chicago Blackhawks also fall into the aforementioned discussion – not carrying a captain since legendary centerman Jonathan Toews ended his career in 2022. Toews leaves massive shoes as Chicago’s leader, after co-heading three Stanley Cup wins alongside winger Patrick Kane. Naming a successor will formally carry Chicago into a new era – one without many of the faces that came to define Chicago hockey in the 2010s. Teenage phenom Connor Bedard seems like a great option to lead that transition, after netting 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games last season – the most of any rookie Blackhawk since Artemi Panarin in 2016, and Kane before him. But Bedard is still young and was limited to a partial season last year by a jaw injury. Those factors could hold him back from Chicago’s prestigious ’C’. If that is the case, it doesn’t seem any of the team’s veteran leaders, including Nick Foligno and Seth Jones, would inspire Chicago to name a captain too early.

And while Chicago’s next captain will lead the team through new scenery, it’s the Tampa Bay vacancy that headlines the off-season. The Lightning now sit without a captain for the first time since 2002, after franchise icon Steven Stamkos chose to sign with the Nashville Predators in his first trip to unrestricted free agency. Stamkos wore the ’C’ for the last 10 years and established himself as a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in that span, leading Tampa Bay to two Stanley Cups and setting the franchise’s all-time records in both goals and points scored. Like in Chicago, the Lightning will be entering a new era with their next captain – though they’re much more prepared for the vacancy than their counterparts. While forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point could both serve as strong replacements, it’s defenseman Victor Hedman that offers the same rugged veteran leadership brought by Stamkos. Hedman recently signed a four-year extension in Tampa, taking him through his age-37 season and, potentially, the end of his career. He’s already appeared in 1,052 games with Tampa Bay – the most of any Lightning other than Stamkos – and holds the franchise records in all three scoring stats, among defenders. Transitioning from Stamkos to Hedman should prove more of a light handoff than a total change in power, which could be enough to sway a Lightning franchise that hasn’t gone longer than one year without a captain since naming Paul Ysebaert as their inaugural ’C’.

Mapping out when captain announcements will come is often a fool’s bet, but the candidates to earn the NHL’s next ’C’ seem to be becoming clearer. Who will it be? Will Tampa jump to another veteran, will Chicago move into their next step, or will an oft-captain-less team commit to their young guard? Let us know by voting in the poll below and discussing in the comments.

If the embedded poll isn’t showing up, use this link to vote!

Lightning Sign Victor Hedman To Four-Year Extension

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The Lightning have signed franchise defenseman Victor Hedman to a four-year contract extension worth $8MM per season, the team announced today. The deal kicks in beginning in 2025-26 and will keep him in Tampa through 2028-29.

The extension is signing-bonus heavy and carries a full no-move clause, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports.

Hedman and the Lightning were headed toward unrestricted free agency next summer, a fate both surely wanted to avoid after watching longtime captain Steven Stamkos depart for the Predators yesterday. Notably, Hedman’s extension is the exact same length and total value as Stamkos’ deal in Nashville. The new deal is a slight raise on his $7.875MM cap hit, which remains in effect for 2024-25 as he plays the final season of the eight-year, $63MM extension he signed in Tampa back in 2016. Hedman, 33, will now be 38 years old when his contract runs out.

Hedman, drafted second overall in 2009, remains Tampa’s undisputed top blue liner and is arguably the second-best talent in franchise history behind Stamkos. They don’t win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 without the 6’7″ Swede, who was crowned the Conn Smythe winner the first time around. He was a Norris finalist in every season from 2016-17 to 2021-22 (winning in 2017-18), a span in which he recorded 85 goals, 289 assists, 374 points and a +117 rating while averaging 24:34 across 428 games played.

Two years ago, however, it looked like Hedman’s decline might have started early. 2022-23 was a rough campaign for him on both sides of the puck, with his 0.64 points per game checking in as his worst offensive showing in seven years and his 50.1 xGF% at even strength running surprisingly mediocre despite over 60% of his zone starts coming in the offensive end.

He had a nice rebound campaign last season, though, erupting once again for 76 points (13 goals, 63 assists) in 78 games with a +13 rating. Hedman has also stayed relatively healthy as he ages, never missing more than six games in a season for the past four years. That’s a good sign for their highest-paid blue liner, who will be relied upon heavily next season to anchor a new-look defense that’s seen Ryan McDonagh re-acquired after two years away and Mikhail Sergachev swapped for J.J. Moser in a larger deal with Utah.

It’s the second big-money move from the Lightning in the past two days. They found Stamkos’ pricier but younger replacement, acquiring top free agent left wing Jake Guentzel’s signing rights from the Hurricanes and promptly inking him to a seven-year deal worth $9MM per season. Clearly, GM Julien BriseBois has no intention of letting the Bolts slip out of championship contention anytime soon, doing well to replenish their roster this past week with younger and, in some cases, more cost-effective talent. But keeping Hedman around was always a priority, too, and he becomes the overwhelming favorite to succeed Stamkos as captain this season.

Hedman’s marginal increase on his current deal means the move doesn’t have much of an impact on their long-term salary cap picture. They do still have one big-ticket item to check off their list this summer, though. Moser remains an unsigned RFA, and they’d surely prefer to get him inked to a new deal before he can file for arbitration. It shouldn’t be too big of a hassle, as the Lightning still have $6.65MM in projected cap space remaining with five open roster spots, per CapFriendly.

With Sergachev out and McDonagh and Moser in, Hedman joins Erik Černák as the only Tampa defenseman signed past 2025-26. They have considerably more long-term stability at forward, with Guentzel, Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point all locked up through the end of the decade.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Lightning Nearing Extension With Victor Hedman

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According to Kevin Weekes of ESPN, the Tampa Bay Lightning are nearing a contract extension with all-star defenseman Victor Hedman. The news comes shortly after the report indicating that Jake Guentzel will be signing with the organization after the team traded for his signing rights earlier this afternoon. Because he is already signed to a contract in Tampa Bay, Hedman will have to wait until tomorrow to sign a new agreement.

Hedman is set to wrap up his current eight-year, $63MM extension after the 2024-25 NHL season concludes, and would have become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career at 34 years old. With an average annual value of $7.875MM since the start of the 2017-18 NHL season, there is an argument to be made that Hedman has been playing on a bargain of a contract for some time.

Over the life of his current contract, Hedman has appeared in 503 regular season games for the Lightning while scoring 91 goals and 427 points. The Lightning have made the postseason in each year of the deal while Hedman has assisted the team with 17 goals and 80 points over those seven years. Hedman has also won one Norris Trophy, one Conn Smythe Trophy, and two Stanley Cup rings in hardware.

The former second-overall pick can still be counted on to log heavy minutes on the ice but may see his workload increase after the team parted ways with defenseman Mikhail Sergachev on the second day of the 2024 NHL Draft. Hedman appeared to handle the workload fine with Sergachev out for much of the regular season this past year but it will be interesting to see if he can keep up that fortitude over the life of the expected extension.

The full terms of the deal will likely break tomorrow and it will be interesting to see how long the Lightning go on a Hedman extension. The team was recently willing to give a similarly-aged Steven Stamkos an eight-year agreement to keep the AAV down towards a team-friendly level.

East Notes: Stamkos, Hedman, Flyers

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Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning continue to engage in contract talks but Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois isn’t sure that a deal will get done before July 1st (as per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times). The Lightning GM met with Stamkos’ representatives as recently as yesterday but with Tampa Bay’s cap crunch, the 2008 first overall pick may go to market.

Stamkos would have no shortage of suitors (as per Darren Dreger of TSN) if he becomes an unrestricted free agent and it would mark the end of an incredible era in Tampa Bay. Stamkos has won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning as well as two Rocket Richard trophies and has tallied 555 goals and 582 assists in 1082 NHL games. If the 34-year-old does go to market, he is sure to find a lucrative deal as he is coming off a season in which he registered 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports is reporting that Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois has held extension talks with defenseman Victor Hedman. BriseBois told the media that he hopes that he will agree on an extension in the coming days as Hedman is eligible to sign a new deal on July 1st. The 33-year-old has one year left on his current contract and is coming off another strong season in which he posted 13 goals and 63 assists in 78 games. Hedman’s cap hit for next year will be $7.875MM, but his actual salary will be $7MM.
  • Pierre LeBrun of TSN is reporting that the Philadelphia Flyers made a big push to try and acquire the fourth overall pick in this year’s NHL entry draft from the Columbus Blue Jackets. LeBrun’s sources have told him the Philadelphia made the offer on Wednesday and it was reported to include a swap of first-round picks, a player off the Flyers roster, and potentially the Flyers first-round pick next year. According to reports, Blue Jackets’ general manager Don Waddell turned down the offer, but it remains possible that the teams re-engage in the hours leading up to the draft.

Snapshots: Team Sweden, Bennett, Kuzmenko

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Team Sweden named their leadership group for the 2024 IIHF World Championship ahead of their opening game on Friday (Twitter link). Long-time Swedish star Erik Karlsson will serve as the team’s captain, flanked by Victor Hedman and Lucas Raymond as assistant captains.

Karlsson is taking on a significant leadership role in his first appearance with Sweden since the 2017 World Cup. And while he wore an ‘A’ with Sweden in that tournament, this news marks his first time wearing the ’C’ with his home country. Karlsson is no stranger to leadership, having served as the Ottawa Senators captain from 2014 to 2018. He’s also no secret to international hockey, with 23 points across 28 games with Sweden’s Men’s team, including appearances at the World Championship, World Cup, and Olympics.

Sweden won their first contest of the 2024 Worlds, beating Team USA 5-2 thanks to a three-point performance from Joel Eriksson Ek and 28 saves from Filip Gustavsson. They’ll look to maintain the confident start through the rest of the tourney, chasing their first Gold Medal win since 2018.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Florida Panthers welcomed forward Sam Bennett back to the lineup on Friday (Twitter link). It was his first game since suffering an upper-body injury in Game 2 of Round 1. Bennett recorded a primary assist on Florida’s second goal of the matchup, stepping right back into his role alternating with Anton Lundell. Nick Cousins stepped out of the lineup to make room for Bennett. Cousins has appeared in seven games this postseason, recording one assist and 20 penalty minutes. Bennett offers a big boost to a Florida lineup that’s gone blow-for-blow with the Boston Bruins. He was a major piece of their success last spring, posting 15 points in 20 postseason games.
  • Calgary Flames winger Andrei Kuzmenko has changed agencies, now represented by Newport Sports. The swap was first reported by former Sportsnet reporter Irfaan Gaffar, and seconded by Ryan Pike of Flames Nation (Twitter link). Kuzmenko will now be represented by the same management company as Robert Thomas, Vasily Podkolzin, and Tomas Hertl. He leaves Gold Star Agency, where he was notoriously represented by Daniel Milstein, who served a role in Kuzmenko’s swap from the Vancouver Canucks to the Flames. Kuzmenko found a strong scoring groove in Calgary, netting 25 points in 24 games, and should be poised for a top role next season.

Afternoon Notes: Hedman, Landeskog, Reilly

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Joe Smith of The Athletic writes that Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois plans to re-sign defenseman Victor Hedman before the end of his current contract which expires on July 1st, 2025. The Lightning reportedly started engaging in contract talks with the 33-year-old last week but can’t officially sign a new deal until July 1st, 2024.

Hedman remains one of the NHL’s elite defensemen coming off another strong season in which he posted 13 goals and 63 assists in 78 games while averaging just a tick under 25 minutes of ice time per game.

The Lightning are no longer the perennial Stanley Cup contender of a few years ago but they remain a strong team with a very good core and have been aggressive in extending their group long term having locked up six regulars to contracts beyond the 2028-29 season.

In other afternoon notes:

  • Ryan Boulding of NHL.com tweeted that Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters that forward Gabriel Landeskog is increasing the time he’s on the ice, and increasing the repetition in his workouts but he isn’t close to practicing with the team. Landeskog had knee cartilage surgery exactly one year ago today, and while the projected recovery time for that type of procedure is usually one year, it doesn’t appear as though he will return anytime soon. Bednar remained non-committal when pressed by reporters, simply saying that the team doesn’t know a timeline for a return.
  • Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News writes that New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly is hoping to sign an extension with the team before his contract expires on July 1st. Reilly has played with six different NHL teams in his short career and it’s not surprising to see him looking for the stability of an extension. Reilly was bought out last summer by the Boston Bruins but then signed a one-year, $1MM contract with the Florida Panthers before he was acquired off waivers in November by the Islanders. He played 50 games for New York, notching five goals and 14 assists during that time and providing the Islanders with a lot of good work in their transition game. The Islanders don’t have much in the way of cap space this summer but would have room to fit Reilly in, should they want to keep him with the team.

East Notes: Green, Bennett, Hedman, Fehervary

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While Devils interim head coach Travis Green is under consideration for the full-time position, the team has given him permission to speak to other teams about their head coaching openings, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  To that end, Garrioch notes that Green is believed to be on the radar of the Senators for their vacancy.  Green led New Jersey to a record of 8-12-1 after taking over for Lindy Ruff and has a 141-159-35 career record including his time with Vancouver.  He joins Todd McLellan, Dean Evason, and Craig Berube as experienced head coaches who have been connected to the Sens thus far.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Panthers center Sam Bennett is set to skate tomorrow for the first time since suffering a wrist injury in the second game of the first round, relays Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. The 27-year-old was a key secondary scorer for Florida this season, picking up 20 goals and 21 assists in 69 games while anchoring the second line alongside Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe.  Head coach Paul Maurice stated that “it’s a very real possibility” that Bennett will be available for their second-round matchup against either Toronto or Boston.
  • Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman will take part in the upcoming World Championship later this month, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link). The 33-year-old hasn’t had many opportunities to take part in the tournament in the past but has been consistent about going when he could.  This will be Hedman’s fourth time playing in the event and his first since 2016-17.
  • Another player heading to the Worlds is Capitals blueliner Martin Fehervary; Slovakia’s GM Miroslav Satan announced (Twitter link). The 24-year-old logged a little under 20 minutes a night this season for Washington while finishing in the top three on the team in hits and blocked shots.  Fehervary also was their leading scorer in the playoffs, picking up two goals and an assist in their sweep at the hands of the Rangers.  This will be Fehervary’s fourth time playing in this tournament.

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