Victor Hedman’s fall in 2022-23 was precipitous. Too fast, really. Look no further than this season for proof.
After recovering from hip issues over the summer, the future Hall of Famer has swiftly reclaimed his seat alongside the most productive blueliners in the NHL. The 33-year-old may no longer be the defender he once was, but with the puck on his stick, he remains a bona fide game-changer.
Here’s why.
First Pass
You’d think a clean bill of health would result in a more mobile and active player. That hasn’t been the case for Hedman. Although he’s unquestionably performed better this year, his wheels are less of a factor than ever:
Shedding his injury concerns has instead restored his comfort level. The poise that defined his prime is on full display again.
With a greater focus on puck management than physical attributes, Hedman is overseeing the action from the back end like late-career Chris Pronger. Every decision is calculated, every touch meticulous. Every breakout pass sets the table for Tampa Bay’s top six to torment the opposition:
The 15th-year pro’s efforts hinge on accuracy. He doesn’t merely hurl pucks toward his teammates. On the strength of his vision and wingspan, the 6’7”, 246-pound mammoth aims to drop the puck directly onto their blade. His understanding of the rink’s geometry is superb, leading to picture-perfect bank passes from angles that many don’t expect.
Hedman’s timing is worth a shout as well. He possesses an innate sense for when to stretch the defense via long bombs, when to link up so the Lightning can march forward with numbers and when to press the issue once his teammates tag onside. Oh, and his giveaways are down significantly from last year.
Tampa Bay can thus grab the puck in stride and go. Meanwhile, the opposition can barely catch its breath.
Here’s an example of how intentional his puck placement is:
Since the Panthers’ forecheck has come up empty, they back off and hope to force a Lightning dump-in. With five skaters below the red line, that should be easy enough. There’s just one giant Swedish problem.
First, Hedman lures Aleksander Barkov (FLA 16) away from his central post, removing one of the two hurdles parked between him and his intended target (Brandon Hagel, TB 38). Then he clocks that the second deterrent (Evan Rodrigues, FLA 17) is a few feet too high to guard both the drifter (TB 71) and the wall man. He zips the equivalent of a back-shoulder throw to Hagel, and Tampa Bay’s off to the races. A controlled entry out of total gridlock.
Given the Lightning’s exceptional off-puck movement, the fruits of his labor are occasionally even sweeter:
For 99% of defensemen, trying your luck on this sequence is ill-advised. Completing the pass? A pipe dream. Hedman belongs to the 1%, though, and he confirms it by whistling the puck through the jaws of Minnesota’s NZ posture (MIN 12 and 90) to spring Nikita Kucherov (TB 86) on a breakaway.
He can turn a sliver of daylight into solid gold.
On a club that loves to push the pace and introduce different points of attack (bump-backs, side switches, etc.), the quality of its first pass makes all the difference. That’s how the Lightning gain a leg up in space.
It’s why they register their highest expected goal rate during his shifts despite facing reasonably stiff competition:
Tampa Bay’s ability to tilt the ice with Hedman is crucial because the squad’s play-driving metrics without him leave much to be desired (25th in xGF/60). Relative to his teammates, he boasts the third-highest xGF/60 among defensemen with 1,000+ minutes played at 5-on-5:
When he’s on the bench, they’re stuck on their heels. When he’s on the ice—even if that’s next to erratic partners like Darren Raddysh or Nick Perbix and he’s more of a conductor than an engine—they can lay on the gas.
The tenor flips in an instant.
Point Play
While the Lightning can count on his laser-guided passing in transition, his unpredictability shines in the OZ. He’s a true dual threat who’s as liable to unleash a cannon from the point as he is to feather a pass into your wheelhouse. You never know what he has up his sleeve.
To make matters worse for defenses, he may not be skating any faster this season, but Hedman is definitely firing the puck harder:
Unlike, say, Adam Fox, he seldom lofts wristers into traffic for deflections. At least where his shooting is concerned, finesse isn’t the name of his game. He hammers pucks at the cage (9th among D-men in slap shots) to either tickle the twine himself or manufacture juicy bounces for his teammates. That emphasis on velocity is proving deadly.
Then there’s the playmaking.
Hedman favors punctuality over theatricality. Making the right pass—as simple as it may appear—at the right time puts his teammates in plus situations. Thanks to his reach and fondness for walking the line, he can entertain a wealth of options before delivering the puck:
Unsurprisingly, most of these highlights include Kucherov and/or Steven Stamkos. The defenseman’s upside is indeed realized when he has high-end talent to trade ideas with.
That aspect is impossible to ignore on the PP, where the trio forms an utterly terrifying umbrella. Once again, Hedman’s pinpoint precision is the key. He repeatedly sets his teammates up in their one-timing pocket. Moreover, the fluidity with which he distributes the puck is a sight to behold.
Pressure him, and he’ll one-touch a pass over to Stamkos for a clapper. Sag off, and he might pull a defender forward and fling the puck over to Kucherov. The straw that stirs Tampa Bay’s drink can then play off the defense’s momentum. Zero in on the Russian, and Hedman will creep lower in the OZ for a higher-danger bid.
Pick your poison:
With Tyler Bertuzzi (TOR 59) closing out at a snail’s pace, Hedman eats the ice that’s afforded to him and launches a missile past Joseph Woll (TOR 60). He’s not playing with these shots. That thing is carrying serious heat.
Should you choose to pick him up, he’ll keep it moving:
Dual threat #1 (Kucherov) coaxes Pittsburgh’s high forward (Bryan Rust, PIT 17) down to the hashes, allowing dual threat #2 (Hedman) to glide into a prime location. Rust scrambles to cover him, but Hedman has already claimed so much depth—and therefore commanded so much respect as a trigger man—that Alex Nedeljkovic (PIT 39) doesn’t stand a chance vs. the best one-timer in hockey.
The ever-mutating shot/pass dynamic between Kucherov, Hedman and Stamkos is a nightmare to contain. And it’s yielded astounding offense.
Kucherov has amassed a league-leading 139 points. Stamkos is on the verge of securing his seventh 40-goal campaign. Hedman, for his part, ranks fifth among defensemen in points (76 in 75 games) and the 2017-18 Norris Trophy winner is posting the highest 5-on-5 scoring rate of his career:
That mark is tied for second leaguewide behind Cale Makar, so…yeah, he’s still one of the finest offensive D-men in the sport.
He can dish with the best of them, he’s potted 13 goals of his own (T-10th) and his chemistry with Kucherov is nothing short of dazzling. Behind the scenes, his expert prep work has enabled the MVP candidate to cook all season long.
In an era of hockey characterized by tempo, Hedman’s revival has cut across the grain, offering a methodical counterpoint to the madness that’s seized blue lines across the league.
Slow and steady didn’t quite win the race, but it certainly got him back on track.