Hedman Takes Temporary Leave, Lightning Press On

0:00On March 25, Tampa Bay Lightning Captain Victor Headman is stepping away from the team on a temporary leave for personal reasons. The 35-year-old defenseman has already missed the past three games after leaving early in the first period of a 6-2 win over the Vancouver Conucks on March 19 due to an illness. This season has been rough for Headman with just 17.1 goal and 16 assists in 33 games. He also sat out 34 games across two stints because of an elbow injury that needed surgery on December 15, before returning for the stadium series game against Boston on February 1. Headman remains a cornerstone for the lightning, holding franchise records for defensemen and games played at 1,164 goals. At 172, assists at 639 and points at 8-11. He's a former Norris Trophy winner from 2018 and earned consmouth honors as Playoff MVP in the 2020 Stanley Cup run. The lightning sits second in the Atlantic Division with a 44, 21 and 5 record, just two points behind Buffalo, but with a game in.

1:08Hand. They host the Seattle Crack in Thursday at 7pm Eastern Time, pushing forward without their star captain for now. That's your NHO News today update. AI powered and always on.