A lot has been made of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s defensive weakness last season. With a seemingly never ending rotation of bodies on the blue line, the Lightning struggled to find any measureable form of consistency during the year. With all that in mind, General Manager Steve Yzerman added new bodies, both young and old, in Keith Aulie, Brian Lee, Sami Salo and Matt Carle. However, the greatest potential addition to the Lightning’s blue line this year may turn out to be a further developed Victor Hedman.
Drafted second overall in the 2009 by the Lightning, Hedman’s NHL career to this point has been underwhelming. It’s no secret that defensemen take longer to develop than forwards, but it’s probably fair to say that many within the Lightning family expected more out of Hedman at this point in his tenure with the team.
When the Lightning selected Hedman following his incredibly successful 2008-09 campaign with Modo of the Swedish Elite League, the level of excitement in Tampa was palpable around the league. Optically, Hedman, along with Stamkos, helps to form one of the best young cores in the league. Now, with Anders Lindback in the mix, the Bolts have one incredibly talented young pillar on all three fronts of the roster. Highlighting that point is something that many fail to do when analyzing the Bolts' potential for the next NHL season.
As mentioned, Hedman’s time with the Bolts has been underwhelming. Expected to come in and provide a consistent offensive presence on the blue line, Hedman has shown some substantial growing pains in his three years with the Lightning. Despite that, it’s incredibly apparent that there is a ton of potential and promise within his 6-foot-6, 230 pound frame. Flashes of greatness have been common with Hedman during his time with the Bolts; he just needs to iron out a few flaws from his game. Ultimately, with further development, Hedman could turn into one of the league’s best all-around defenders.
With all that in mind, it’s important to note that this 2012 NHL lockout has provided Hedman and the Tampa Bay Lightning with a silver-lining. Hedman agreed to play with Barys Astana of the KHL during the lockout and, to be blunt, he’s been fantastic. In 23 games, Hedman has put up 1 goal and 18 assists for 19 points. Now, while the KHL differs from the NHL in many ways, it’s hard to ignore those numbers.
It can be easy to look at numbers and jump to poor conclusions, but the reality is, Hedman has played incredibly well with Barys Astana. For a specific reference, look at his play in a game a few weeks ago against Traktor. Hedman assisted on two goals, made numerous incredible defensive plays and got into tough areas to create offensive chances for his teammates. If those qualities can translate back to the North American game, the Lightning may have a true number one defender ready to go on day one.
Watching Hedman play in the KHL on an occasional basis has been a treat. His swift skating, calm demeanor and hockey sense have all been on display throughout the year. More than that, the puck moving ability that attracted the Lightning enough to draft him has been front and center since he left for Kazakhstan.
When the Lightning were struggling last season, Hedman’s lack of confidence on the ice was incredibly noticeable. This season, in the KHL, the opposite has been true. He looks poised, confident and ready to take on the world every time his team takes to the ice. From Steve Yzerman’s perspective, things are certainly looking up with regards to Victor Hedman. Simply put, he's turning into a phenomenal defender.
This lockout has provided players like Hedman with a big boost of confidence to run with heading into the next National Hockey League campaign. If Hedman and Anders Lindback, who we’ll look at in a future piece, can bring their current level of play back from Europe, the Lightning will be a force to be reckoned with in the Southeast Division.
As always, thanks for reading!
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