Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman left Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres in the first period after appearing to injure himself behind the Tampa net. He appeared to get tangled with Sabres forward Alex Tuch, then skated to the bench while shaking out his leg. He left the bench after briefly speaking with the team’s training staff. Hedman ultimately did not return, finishing the game with just 2:57 of ice time.
After the game, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters they’ll know more on Friday. “We’ll see tomorrow. It’s tough to lose him anytime… Hopefully, we’ll see about Saturday.”
The two-time Stanley Cup winner has 11 goals and 50 points in 59 games for the Lightning this season, but more importantly, they may be faced with losing their captain and best blueliner.
If Hedman’s injury keeps him out for an extended time, the Lightning have some options to bolster their blue line.
Trade
With the NHL trade deadline expiring at 3 pm EST, the Lightning will have to make some quick decisions if they want to acquire another defenseman via trade. The other issue is that with the additions of Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand, they have around $800,000 of cap space if they do not want to trade a rostered player. Whatever direction they go, the Lightning have some options if they want to add another defenseman.
Luke Schenn
While Luke Schenn has already been traded from the Nashville Predators to the Pittsburgh Penguins, insiders believe that this move might be temporary. One reason behind this move is that Schenn would appear to be a poor fit for a team transitioning to rebuilding. Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas knows the market scarcity of Schenn’s increasingly rare skill set, which is a tough, stay-at-home right-handed defenseman, combined with a very affordable $2.75 million cap hit, should increase his 2025 price tag. If this were true, the cost may be too high for the Lightning, but he would make an intriguing addition.
David Savard
Since the Lightning have already reunited with another former Bolt in Gourde, why not bring in Denis Savard? The 34-year-old won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2021 and is enjoying a fairly decent season with the Montreal Canadiens, although some of his numbers are down from his previous years. In 55 games, he has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) and a minus-7 rating, adding 134 blocks in only 17:43 of ice time. The 14-year veteran has 239 points in 850 games (54 goals, 185 assists) playing with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Lightning, and Canadiens.
Matt Grzelcyk
If the Penguins decide to keep Schenn, another option for the Lightning could be 31-year-old Matt Grzelcyk. His puck-moving ability would be a welcome addition to the Lightning blue line and could ease the pain of losing Hedman on the power play. He does have 29 assists to go along with one goal for the Penguins this season, and his $2.75 million cap hit would be easier to fit than some other pricier options.
Mario Ferraro
Mario Ferraro has been mentioned in a previous article on trade targets, and a long-term injury to Hedman would make his acquisition even more viable. He has appeared in 57 games this season with the Sharks, with five goals, 11 points, 81 blocks, and 117 hits. The 26-year-old had three goals and set new career highs with 18 assists and 21 points last season with the San Jose Sharks. The left-shot blueliner is signed until the end of the 2025-26 season with an easily affordable $3.25 million cap hit.
In-House Options
If a trade is not needed or cannot be completed, the Lightning do have some players with their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Syracuse that might provide some reliable options on the blue line until Hedman has recovered.
Derrick Pouliot
Named to the AHL All-Star Game this season, Derrick Pouliot leads the Crunch in total points scored with 44 on seven goals and 37 assists. Last season, he split the season between the Dallas Stars and their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. He established new AHL career highs in goals (nine), assists (37) and points (46) in 64 games with Texas. He is tied for third in the AHL with 20 power-play assists, helping Texas finish with the league’s top power play (21.9%). Pouliot has played in 226 NHL games and made two playoff appearances with the Penguins in 2015-16.
Max Crozier
The 120th overall pick of the Lightning has 20 points in 34 games for the Crunch. He skated in 13 regular season games and three playoff games for the Lightning in the 2023-24 season and has skated in five games this season. Last season, he was named the Crunch’s Ephesus “Brightest Prospect”/Rookie of the Year. His point totals for Providence College and in juniors for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League (USHL) suggest that there is some offensive upside to his game.
There is still a lot to learn about Hedman’s injury, but if the Lightning captain does have to miss some time, they have options to at least sustain the momentum they have created by winning nine of their last ten games and solidifying their position for the upcoming NHL playoffs.
