Hedman 'not available right now' for Lightning entering Eastern 1st Round

TAMPA -- Victor Hedman is "not available right now" for the Tampa Bay Lightning entering the Eastern Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, coach Jon Cooper said Saturday.

The Tampa Bay captain and defenseman hasn't played since leaving during the first period of a 6-2 win at the Vancouver Canucks on March 19 because of an illness, missing the final 15 games of the regular season.

On March 25, the team announced Hedman was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons.

Hedman is currently with the Lightning, who open the playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens at Benchmark International Arena on Sunday (5:45 p.m. ET; The Spot, HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, CBC).

"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. ... I've been here a long time, he trumps me. And he's seen it all, I think it's vital and it's great."

Following Game 2 in Tampa on Tuesday, the series will shift to Montreal for Games 3 and 4, beginning on Friday.

"We love having him around, because he's our captain, he has a wealth of experience, so he's going to be with us and on this trip," Cooper said. "But you know, as I said, probably not available right now, and it's playoff time, so we keep those things close to the vest."

The 35-year-old has 17 points (one goal, 16 assists) and has been limited to 33 games this season.

He played the first 15 games of the season, but sustained an undisclosed injury on Nov. 8 and didn't return until Dec. 6, missing 12 games. Hedman played just three games  after that before being placed on injured reserve on Dec. 11. Four days later the team announced he would have a procedure on his elbow that would likely keep him out until February; Hedman missed 22 games.

Hedman played Tampa Bay's final three games prior to the Olympic break before joining Team Sweden for the 2026 Winter Olympics but missed its 2-1 overtime loss to Team USA in the quarterfinals with a lower-body injury he sustained during warmups. He recovered in time to play for the Lightning when they resumed play Feb. 25 and skated in their first 12 games after the break before leaving against the Canucks.

The 2017-18 winner of the Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the NHL, Hedman is first in Lightning history among defensemen in games (1,164), goals (172), assists (639) and points (811). He helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Selected No. 2 by the Lightning in the 2009 NHL Draft, Hedman has 120 points (23 goals, 97 assists) in 170 postseason games.