Hedman practices with Lightning, still no timeline for return

BRANDON, Fla. -- Victor Hedman couldn’t stop smiling Tuesday.

Neither could many of his Tampa Bay Lightning teammates.

The upbeat vibe surrounding the Lightning captain and his team had to do with the fact the defenseman was able to participate in a full practice, including the majority of drills at top speed. It was the most on-ice activity Hedman has had since leaving for personal reasons on March 25.

But that doesn’t mean he’ll be back during the Eastern Conference First Round against the Montreal Canadiens. The best-of-7 series is tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; The Spot, ESPN2, SN, TVAS, CBC).

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper didn’t provide a timeline for Hedman’s return but admitted the 35-year-old is trending in the right direction. Hedman was limited to 33 regular-season games due to injury and personal reasons and had 17 points (one goal, 16 assists) while averaging 18:52 of ice time. 

“That’s hard to say right now,” Cooper said after practice. “But he’s progressing. Like, he’s taking steps. So, that’s a positive side for us.”

On April 21, Cooper said, “I wouldn’t rule anything out” but added that “I’d say I’d put that on the doubtful side for this series.” Since that time, Hedman, who has not played since March 19 against the Vancouver Canucks, has skated with the scratches at morning skates the past week.

The No. 2 pick by the Lightning at the 2009 NHL Draft, Hedman ranks first all-time among their defensemen in games played (1,164), goals (172), assists (639) and points (811). The two-time Stanley Cup winner (2020, 2021) has 120 points (23 goals, 97 assists) in 170 playoff games and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP in 2020 and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman for the 2017-18 season.

His mere presence is infectious to his teammates, who embraced the fact he accompanied them to Montreal for Games 3 and 4.

"It's awesome,” Lightning forward Gage Goncalves said during the trip. “He's our captain for a reason. We’re with Vic and we love having him here. I've seen him at the hotel just picking his brain or even just talking to him about what he's been up to and how's the family at home. It's been nice to spend a lot of quality time around the captain.”

And now he’s back on the ice with them, fully practicing and cheering them on, knowing if he doesn’t play in this series, the odds are improving he could potentially play in the second round should the Lightning advance.

With this series down to a best-of-3, Tampa Bay does have the edge in experience.

Montreal’s top three scoring forwards during the regular season -- Nick Suzuki (41), Cole Caufield (29) and Juraj Slafkovsky (nine), have combined for 79 career playoff games. Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov has played 156 -- 77 more than the Canadiens’ top three.

In goal, Andrei Vasilevskiy has played 124 postseason games for Tampa Bay; rookie Jakub Dobes had played seven for Montreal.

“You know, with this team having played in these situations and playing meaningful hockey in the past nine years, sure, it helps,” Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh said. “But they’re a good team over there. They’re hungry, they want to get by us, and we want to do the same.

“So, I think these next few games will be pretty fun.”