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.