Victor Hedman steps away from the Tampa Bay Lightning at the worst possible time

The Tampa Bay Lightning have underachieved in recent years, but coming into 2025/26, they were once again optimistic that they could make plenty of noise in the Atlantic Division.

With less than 15 games to go, the team currently sit in second place in the division behind the Buffalo Sabres with a record of 44-21-5, but unfortunately, they've now suffered a major loss.

On Wednesday, the team took to social media to announce that captain Victor Hedman will be stepping away from the team for an indefinite period as he deals with something personal, with the team noting that no further details will be given on the situation.

This season, the 35-year old has appeared in just 33 games, but in that time he has a solid 17 points, and given the talent around him, when healthy he simply adds another layer to an already loaded, deep squad.

Unfortunately though, he may miss the remainder of the regular season, but with no further details revealed on the situation, it's unclear just how things will play out in the coming weeks for the talented blue liner.

This will also be a hit for a team that's battling the Buffalo Sabres for top spot in the division, as there are currently just two points separating them, with the Lightning having a game in hand on the Sabres.

Ultimately, no matter how talented this team is, without Hedman, they're a much more beatable squad, so now the hope in Tampa Bay is that he can come back at some point in the next few weeks and be at 100% ahead of the post-season.

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