{"id":237557,"date":"2026-04-19T03:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T03:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/237557\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T03:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T03:37:14","slug":"jon-cooper-provides-a-victor-hedman-injury-update-and-other-injury-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/237557\/","title":{"rendered":"Jon Cooper Provides a Victor Hedman Injury Update and Other Injury News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_kbwbzecqm\">The Tampa Bay Lightning are preparing for their first-round playoff series with uncertainty surrounding captain Victor Hedman.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_ewou36mog\">Head coach Jon Cooper said Hedman has started to return to the ice but is not expected to be available at this point.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_1c7yuw-o_O-tagStyle_12j16kw\">\u201cVic\u2019s been around us. He\u2019s slowly starting to get some ice time and stuff like that and get himself, hopefully, back,\u201d \u201cWe love having him around because he is our captain and he has a wealth of experience so he is going to be with us and on this trip. He is going to be with us but probably unavailable right now and it\u2019s playoff time so we keep those things close to the vest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0Jon Cooper<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Jon Cooper on Victor Hedman: \u201cVic\u2019s been around us. He\u2019s slowly starting to get some ice time and stuff like that and get himself, hopefully, back. We love having him around because he is our captain and he has a wealth of experience so he is going to be with us and on this trip.\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gabby Shirley (@Gabby_Shirley_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Gabby_Shirley_\/status\/2045542888373690835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">April 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_v6nbg826b\">Hedman plays a central role on Tampa Bay\u2019s defense. He handles top matchups, contributes on special teams, and logs heavy minutes. But the Lightning have done a fine job without their captain so far this season. Darren Raddysh, J.J Moser, and others will have to continue to carry the load.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_xd20bot3f\"><a class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_1qf9em8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nhl\/lightning\/onsi\/news\/darren-raddysh-etches-his-name-in-tampa-bay-history-01knf1x0rtp0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Darren Raddysh Etches His Name in Tampa Bay History<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_k5tp3ny17\">There is a more positive outlook for Dominic James, who has not played since February 28.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_tcsbueb1m\">Cooper said he expects James to be ready for Game 1, while noting the challenges that come with returning from injury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_1c7yuw-o_O-tagStyle_12j16kw\">\u201cWe\u2019re hoping so. That\u2019s a big injury that he had,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cA lot of times it is the mental hurdle you have to get over but I am anticipating he will be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0Jon Cooper<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Cooper on if Dominic James, who has not played in a game since February 28, will be available for Game 1: \u201cWe\u2019re hoping so. That\u2019s a big injury that he had. A lot of times it is the mental hurdle you have to get over but I am anticipating he will be ready\u201d <\/p>\n<p>on the addition of\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gabby Shirley (@Gabby_Shirley_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Gabby_Shirley_\/status\/2045544033926201508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">April 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_3upic2743\">If available, James gives Tampa Bay another option in the forward group. His return would help restore some of the lineup balance that has been affected in recent weeks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_tyr24iylb\">Cooper pointed to James\u2019 speed as an important factor, especially against a quick Montreal Canadiens team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_1c7yuw-o_O-tagStyle_12j16kw\">\u201cHe\u2019s fast and we are playing a fast team so he\u2019s been able to push the pace on whatever line he has played on so that is something we will be looking forward to. We missed it. There is no doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;\u00a0Jon Cooper<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_cdw45jhod\">Tampa Bay\u2019s forward lines benefit from players who can move the puck quickly through the neutral zone. James has shown the ability to contribute in that area, which can support the team\u2019s transition game and offensive zone entries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_11zqy5gv2\">At the most recent practice, nearly the full roster participated. Hedman and Pontus Holmberg were the only players not on the ice, which aligns with Cooper\u2019s update.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_pydrefiwv\">The Lightning will continue to monitor Hedman\u2019s situation while preparing for Game 1 without him. At the same time, the expected return of James gives the coaching staff another option as they finalize lineup decisions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_dqc85ww5k\">Tampa Bay enters the series with adjustments to make, but the overall structure of the roster remains intact.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Tampa Bay Lightning are preparing for their first-round playoff series with uncertainty surrounding captain Victor Hedman. Head&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237558,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-237557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237557\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}