As one of the pillars of the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s most successful run in franchise history, it would be hard to envision Victor Hedman putting on another jersey in 2025.
The Lightning defenceman will be entering the final season of his contract in the 2024-25 season and believes his best days are still ahead of him.
“The way my body feels and the way my mind feels,” Hedman told Joe Smith of The Athletic. “I feel like I’ve got a lot of good hockey left in me.”
Tampa Bay had to rely on Hedman heavily last season, especially with the team dealing with major injuries. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy missed the opening of the season as he recovered from a back operation, then defenceman Mikhail Sergachev was sidelined after he broke his left tibia and fibula in early February.
The Lightning have been feeling the salary cap crunch the past few seasons, and they have a tough situation to navigate this off-season with captain Steven Stamkos. General manager Julien BriseBois wanted to wait until the end of the season before offering a deal.
That left Stamkos frustrated about not having clarity on his future and that’s something Hedman is hoping to avoid.
“This is all we know,” Hedman said in the team’s end-of-season availability. “We’ve been here from day one and I’ve been here for almost half my life. I couldn’t picture anything else. It’s a process. It’s a business. And just moving forward here, my thought process is on next season and hopefully I won’t be in the same position as Stammer, but you never know. My plan is to retire a Bolt, and I hope that will come true.”
BriseBois says getting a new contract for the six-time Norris Trophy nominee is a priority, which is a different approach to what the team did with Stamkos.
It’s easy to see why the Lightning want to make an extension for Hedman a priority. The 33-year-old saw his defensive usage increase as he started 40.6 per cent of his shifts in the defensive zone, the highest he’s had since the 2019-20 season.
Part of Hedman’s motivation to continue playing at a high level is his desire to be a part of Sweden’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics. He is currently playing in the 2024 IIHF Men’s World Championship in Czechia.
At the same time, Hedman believes there is more to be accomplished in Tampa Bay despite having two Stanley Cups, a Norris Trophy and a Conn Smythe Trophy to his name.
“You reach the mountain twice, but you always want to do it more,” he says. “It’s something you taste one time and you want to taste it again. You want to do it for the guys next to you who haven’t had that opportunity. It’s what drives us. We want to lift the Cup again, just try to be as good as you can for as long as you can.”
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