Dec 12, 2025, 03:14 PM ET<\/p>\n
NEWARK, N.J. — Victor Hedman<\/a> is set to undergo elbow surgery on Monday, sidelining the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a>‘s captain until February but paving the way for the hulking defenseman to play for Sweden at the upcoming Olympics in Milan.<\/p>\n The team announced Hedman’s prognosis and time frame Friday after Jon Cooper confirmed Thursday that the Swede had aggravated an injury that recently caused him to miss 12 games.<\/p>\n “Obviously a step back,” Cooper said before the Lightning beat the New Jersey Devils<\/a> without Hedman and several key contributors also on injured reserve. “We didn’t anticipate this.”<\/p>\n Cooper, who is Canada’s Olympic coach, said Sweden should not worry about Hedman’s availability for the Olympics, adding: “Don’t let the country hit the panic button yet.” Hedman had already been named to his national team’s roster and was expected to play a substantial role for a gold-medal contender.<\/p>\n With three Lightning games scheduled in February before the NHL season pauses for the break, Hedman may even get to play before the tournament starts in Italy on Feb. 11.<\/p>\n Hedman, 34, is certainly a big deal in the NHL for the Lightning, too. He averages over 21 minutes a game, second on the team, and has been a franchise cornerstone for more than a decade, including winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2020 during the first of back-to-back title runs.<\/p>\n “Hedman, he’s our captain — he’s a huge part of our team,” Cooper said. “But if it’s going to happen — which you don’t want it to — but if it is, it’s better it happens now than in April.”<\/p>\n Hedman joined fellow two-time Cup champions Andrei Vasilevskiy<\/a>, Erik Cernak<\/a> and Ryan McDonagh<\/a> on IR. Tampa Bay won 18 of its first 31 games this season despite the constant barrage of injuries to top players.<\/p>\n “I’ve liked the way we’ve played,” Cooper said. “Have we won one game out of our last five? We have. Am I upset the way we’ve played? No. We just haven’t been able to score. … There’s a lot to like about our game, and that’s the part for me is to not change your game, not let the frustration set in because we’re not scoring.”<\/p>\n Hours after those comments, the Lightning scored eight goals to rout the Devils. They’ll still eagerly await Hedman’s return.<\/p>\n