Victor Hedman Sidelined After Elbow Surgery

The Tampa Bay Lightning had to dip into injured reserve today, and it’s a big one. Victor Hedman is set to miss significant time after undergoing elbow surgery, with his return expected sometime around February. For one of the NHL’s most dominant defencemen over the last decade, it’s another unfortunate pause in an otherwise elite career.

Hedman’s Injury and the Bigger Picture

What stands out is the timing. Hedman’s recovery window lines up almost exactly with the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Even in a worst-case scenario, he should still be in a position to suit up for the knockout rounds. That’s huge for Sweden. Hedman remains a true difference-maker when healthy, and while players like Gustav Forsling and Rasmus Dahlin give Sweden high-end options on the back end, tournaments against teams like Canada and the U.S. require more than just one top pair. The depth of elite talent is what separates contenders.

For years, Hedman has lived among the NHL’s defensive elite. His blend of size, smooth skating, physicality, and offensive instincts has made him a matchup nightmare. Still, injuries have chipped away at his availability at different points, and this latest setback is another example of how unforgiving a long NHL career can be.

What Tampa Bay Loses Without Him

At his peak, Hedman was the standard. He captured the Norris Trophy in 2018 and was a cornerstone during Tampa Bay’s back-to-back Stanley Cup runs, running the power play and logging massive minutes. Across 17 NHL seasons, he’s piled up 171 goals, 806 points, and over 1,100 games played, all while averaging more than 23 minutes a night. That workload speaks for itself.

His absence will be noticeable, especially alongside J.J. Moser. In limited action together, the pair has controlled play effectively, posting a 58.2 percent expected goals rate. That said, Tampa may already have a workable alternative. Moser and Darren Raddysh have quietly been excellent, owning a 62.8 xGoals percentage over a larger sample.

Losing Hedman hurts; there’s no way around it. But the Lightning seem to have options in place to steady the blue line until their franchise defenceman is back on the ice.