""Obviously a step back," Cooper said before the Lightning beat the New Jersey Devils without Hedman and several key contributors also on injured reserve. "We didn't anticipate this." Cooper, who is Canada's Olympic coach, said Sweden should not worry about Hedman's availability for the Olympics, adding: "Don't let the country hit the panic button yet." Hedman had already been named to his national team's roster and was expected to play a substantial role for a gold-medal contender."
"With three Lightning games scheduled in February before the NHL season pauses for the break, Hedman may even get to play before the tournament starts in Italy on Feb. 11. Hedman is certainly a big deal in the NHL for the Lightning, too. He averages over 21 minutes a game, second on the team, and has been a franchise cornerstone for more than a decade, including winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2020 during the first of back-to-back title runs."
""Hedman, he's our captain - he's a huge part of our team," Cooper said. "But if it's going to happen - which you don't want it to - but if it is, it's better it happens now than in April." Hedman joined fellow two-time Cup champions Andrei Vasilevskiy, Erik Cernak and Ryan McDonagh on IR. Tampa Bay won 18 of its first 31 games this season despite the constant barrage of injuries to top players."
Victor Hedman will have elbow surgery Monday and will be sidelined until February. The injury was an aggravation of a condition that had previously caused him to miss 12 games. He had already been named to Sweden's Olympic roster and is expected to be available for the Milan Games beginning Feb. 11, with three Lightning games scheduled in February before the NHL pause. Hedman averages over 21 minutes per game and has been a franchise cornerstone for more than a decade, including winning the 2020 Conn Smythe Trophy. Tampa Bay has continued winning despite multiple top players on injured reserve.
Read at ESPN.com
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