Playoff Race: Victor Hedman Leaves the Lightning for Personal Reasons

Marc-Olivier Cook
Playoff Race: Victor Hedman Leaves the Lightning for Personal Reasons
Credit: Capture d'écran / X

Victor Hedman is a key player for Tampa Bay.

He wears the C on his jersey because he is the team's undisputed leader. Nikita Kucherov may be the team's best player… but without Hedman, the Lightning look like a completely different team.

And as it happens, we're learning today that the defenseman is leaving the team for personal reasons. It's unclear when he'll be able to return to play at this time.

Currently, the Lightning are well-positioned in the Eastern Conference standings.

The team is in second place in the Atlantic Division with 93 points: only the Sabres (95 points) are ahead of Tampa Bay in the division. The Canadiens (88 points), the Bruins (86 points), the Sens (85 points), and the Red Wings (84 points) are the other Atlantic Division teams that could challenge the Lightning.

But…

But the Lightning don't have to worry about missing the playoffs because, according to MoneyPuck's odds, the team has a 99.9% chance of securing a spot in the postseason.

That said… it's clear that losing Hedman could impact the team's finish. The Lightning will want to finish as high as possible in the standings to win the division and face one of the two Wild Card teams.

That always gives you an advantage. And home-ice advantage is also important here…

Maybe this opens a door for the Canadiens. Will the Habs play well enough to overtake the Lightning in the standings by the end of the season?

With Hedman out indefinitely, the question is valid… Even though the Habs have one of the toughest schedules in the NHL for the remainder of the season.


Quick Take

– Yeah.

– That's right.

– Interesting.

– Yeah!

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