Captain Victor Hedman shares message about mental health after Lightning playoff exit

The Tampa Bay Lightning competed for the majority of the 2025-26 NHL season without their veteran captain.

Defenseman Victor Hedman played in 33 games, the lowest total of his 17-year career. A pair of injuries, including a procedure on his elbow, kept him out early in the season.

Then, on March 25, the team announced the 35-year-old Hedman was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. He missed Tampa Bay’s final 15 games of the regular season and the seven-game postseason series against the Montreal Canadiens.

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The Canadiens eliminated the Lightning with a 2-1 victory in Game 7 on Sunday, May 3, in Tampa.

On Tuesday, Hedman released a statement through the team on X addressing his absence to “focus on my mental health.”

“I’ve always believed that being a leader means doing what’s best for the team,” the statement read. “In this case, it also meant doing what was necessary to take care of myself, so I can be the best player, teammate, husband and father I expect to be.”

‘Much better place today’

Though he didn’t address the details of his mental health struggle, Hedman shared that he is doing well now.

“I’ve been fortunate to have strong support from my family, my teammates and the organization, my therapist and I’m in a much better place today,” Hedman said in the statement.

Lightning head coach Jon Cooper indicated before Game 6 that Tampa Bay may have gotten Hedman back into the lineup if the postseason had lasted longer. Hedman skated with the team during several practices during the playoffs.