'Guys Like Having Him Around' - Why The Lightning Decided To Bring Victor Hedman To Montreal

MONTREAL - Victor Hedman was not considered a game-time decision to suit up in Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. And he's not considered a game-time decision to play in Game 4 on Monday.

According to Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper, the chances are extremely slim that we will even see Hedman at all in this series.

But that didn't stop the Lightning captain, who hasn't played since March 19, from hopping on a plane and joining his teammates in Montreal for their two-game road trip - mostly for the vibes.

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Tampa Bay finished with an NHL-high 1,207 penalty minutes this season, which was 229 more than the next-highest team - and twice as much as the Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche. So far, they have continued that style in the first round of the playoffs.

"It's awesome. He's our captain for a reason," said left winger Gage Gonsalves. "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."

"It's amazing," added defenseman Erik Cernak. "Obviously, he's been around us the whole time. He's our captain, our leader … I'm happy here's here with us."

This has been a difficult season for Hedman, who missed a total of 49 games over two stints because of an elbow injury that required surgery Dec. 15. He returned on Feb. 1 and represented Sweden at the Olympics, but then took a leave of absence for personal reasons midway through last month.

Having him around is a promising sign for a Lightning team that could definitely use him in these playoffs. But even if he isn't able to play, just his presence can provide a boost.

"I think ultimate goal in the end is to have him play," said Cooper. "Stammer didn't play until Game 3 of the final, but in saying that are there similarities on the other side of the coin? Yes.

"Stammer was a huge part of our team. He was our captain, he'd been our leader for a long time," said Cooper. "Just to have that - even thought that contribution on the ice that both Stamkos and Hedman wanted to be - they provided it in so many areas, especially because we were stuck in a hotel the whole time."

As Cooper mentioned, Stamkos was eventually able to return to the lineup briefly for Game 3 in the Stanley Cup final, where he scored a goal. And though he managed to only play five shifts in total, as Cooper told reporters back in 2020, they were "probably an efficient five shifts as you're ever going to see in a National Hockey League playoff game."

Who knows, maybe Hedman, who skated with the team earlier this week, will end up having a similar impact.

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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 3:02 PM.