Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman Having One of His Best Seasons Yet – The Hockey Writers – Tampa Bay Lightning

With a record of 12-9-2 and the best goal differential in the Atlantic Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning are off to a solid start this season. The organization was the center of attention over the summer as management made franchise-altering moves to keep the team’s contention window open. One of those decisions was moving on from captain Steven Stamkos, who signed a four-year deal with the Nashville Predators.

However, the Lightning didn’t take long to name a new captain for the next wave of their franchise. That title belongs to Victor Hedman when Tampa Bay named the blueliner the 11th captain in team history in September. Considering he eclipsed the 1,000-game plateau last December, along with his astounding resume (two Stanley Cups, one Conn Smythe Trophy, one Norris Trophy), the choice wasn’t difficult for the Lightning.

In a late rally against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night (Nov. 30) at Amalie Arena, Hedman became the Lightning’s all-time leader in assists, surpassing his former teammate Martin St. Louis. Despite turning 34 in three weeks, he anchors the Bolts’ back end. He’s quietly having one of the best starts to a season in his lengthy career and has flown under the radar due to the offensive production by the forwards up front.

Hedman’s Box Score Stats Look as Impressive as Ever

With a career-best of 85 points in 82 games during the 2021-22 season, Hedman is on pace to have a top-three offensive season throughout his career. His four goals and 22 points in 23 games are tied for fourth amongst defensemen in the NHL this season. His five-on-five production has also been solid, as his nine points at that strength are tied for 27th. His point totals are impressive, but it’s not the most surprising part of his game this season.

Hedman’s Revived 5-on-5 and Defensive Metrics

While Hedman posted the second-best offensive numbers of his career last season with 13 goals and 63 assists for 76 points in 78 games, his defensive and play-driving metrics were bottom-of-the-barrel league-wide amongst defenders. Let’s compare this season and last season’s five-on-five on-ice metrics to showcase his drastically improved impact.

The Lightning have been a much better defensive team in 2024-25, partly due to Hedman’s revival defensively. In 2023-24, amongst 217 qualified defenders (500+ minutes TOI at five-on-five), he ranked…