Victor Hedman is making a name for himself in these Stanley Cup Finals. After a biting incident in Game 1 that seemed to have gotten under his skin (no pun intended) Hedman has played some of the best hockey of his career on the biggest stage of his career. “Hedman, what he’s doing, I mean, this is clearly his coming-out party,” said Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper, who was commenting on how much the young defenseman has grown since being pushed into the league at 18. “It took him a few years, but Victor Hedman’s arrived.”
The 6'6" Swedish defenseman was made the second pick in the 2009 NHL Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. In fact, the rebuilding team was so impressed by Hedman, they played him the year he was drafted. He averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time as a teenager, and was quickly earning the coaching staffs trust.
In his second year, he got the second most ice time as the Lightning returned to the postseason. As a top line defender, he was an important piece for the Lightning’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Although they lost to the Bruins, Tampa Bay was impressed enough in Hedman to give him a five year contract.
Hedman then had a breakout year in 2013 production wise. He had career highs in goals (13), assists (42), points (55) and +/- (12). He was also more aggressive, shooting more shots than he ever had with 170. The team returned to the playoffs, and it seemed that the Lightning finally had a young core good enough to contend for a championship, with Hedman as the team’s premier defender.
In these playoffs, Hedman has been a revelation. By Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Hedman had 12 points, most in a single season by any Tampa Bay defender in a single post season. It is also the first postseason in which Hedman has a positive +/- with 13.
Game 3, though, was the biggest of Hedman’s career. His first of two assists came from behind his own net. From there he realized the Chicago defense was changing lines and sent a pass to teammate Ryan Callahan into the Chicago zone. The result was Callahan being able to get past Chicago’s defense and fire a slap shot past Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford.
His next assist came with about four minutes left in the third period. Hedman handled the puck at center ice. He carried himself into the offensive zone to start a 3-2 rush. Hedman went wide and brought a defender with him. He then found teammate Cedric Paquette in front of the net and handed him the easiest goal of Paquette’s career to win 3-2.
With that assist, Hedman became the highest scoring Tampa Bay defender in the postseason, with 23 career points. This all comes with Hedman barely past his 24th birthday. His combination of size and speed mixed with his impressive offensive skillset makes him one of the best Lightning defenders in the clubs history. With more experience, Hedman could become the best defender in the NHL. His match up with Chicago star defender Duncan Keith has been, and will continue to be one of the biggest stories of the Stanley Cup.