The biggest question the Tampa Bay Lightning have to answer before their series against the Montreal Canadiens is the status of Victor Hedman. Their captain took a leave of absence on March 25th and has not returned since. Lightning coach Jon Cooper is still playing his cards close to the vest as puck drop approaches, per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.
“Jon Cooper meeting media pre-game, regarding Hedman skating this morning, the coach says still hard to handicap what that means in terms of his timeline,” LeBrun reported.
Hedman has played just 33 games this season, also missing time due to an elbow injury. This was his 17th season in the NHL, all with the Lightning, and his second as the captain. But the regular season was not what he dreamed of in terms of availability.
It did not matter much for the Lightning, who still cruised to their ninth consecutive playoff appearance with 106 points. JJ Moser stepped up in Hedman’s absence, earning an eight-year contract extension during the season with his great play. But Hedman was key to their two championships, and his veteran leadership will be key to any deep run.
The Lightning are facing the Canadiens for the first time since the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. Since then, Montreal has improved significantly on offense, with Cole Caufield scoring 50 goals and Nick Suzuki cresting 100 points. Having Hedman on defense would be a massive advantage for Tampa Bay, but there is no guarantee that their captain will play.
The Lightning have home-ice advantage in the series, so Cooper could be setting up a Willis Reed-type situation in front of the home crowd on Sunday afternoon. But if Hedman is watching from the press box, it will take a team effort to keep Montreal off the scoreboard in Game 1.
Lightning vs Canadiens starts at 5:45 Eastern.
The biggest question the Tampa Bay Lightning have to answer before their series against the Montreal Canadiens is the status of Victor Hedman. Their captain took a leave of absence on March 25th and has not returned since. Lightning coach Jon Cooper is still playing his cards close to the vest as puck drop approaches, per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.