Victor Hedman will be away from the Lightning for an undefined period of time. Patrick Smith / Getty Images
March 25, 2026Updated 6:53 pm EDT
Victor Hedman is taking a temporary leave from the Tampa Bay Lightning for “personal reasons,” the team announced Wednesday.
The Lightning’s 35-year-old captain missed their last three games after leaving a March 19 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the first period due to illness.
In the announcement, the Lightning said that “no further details will be shared” and asked that Hedman’s privacy be respected.
Hedman, a six-time finalist for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman, has played in only 33 of the Lightning’s 70 games in 2025-26. He missed 23 games — approximately seven weeks — after elbow surgery in December. Hedman returned to the Lightning’s lineup on Feb. 1 but was also limited for Sweden at the Olympics; a lower-body injury forced him to watch their quarterfinal loss to the United States from the bench.
The Lightning have performed well with Hedman and without him, thanks in part to NHL scoring leader Nikita Kucherov and a breakout season by defenseman Darren Raddysh. They began Wednesday in second place in the Atlantic Division with 93 points, 2 points behind the Buffalo Sabres, and will next face the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.
Mar 25, 2026
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