Hedman impressed by Lightning streak

A weekly lap around the NHL by Free Press hockey writers Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre

TAMPA – You can count Victor Hedman among those who are impressed by what the Tampa Bay Lightning have already accomplished this season.

The Lightning captain has been limited to 18 of 52 games because of an elbow injury, but he’s had a front row seat to a Herculean effort by the Eastern Conference leaders, who are riding a 16-1-1 record over the past 18 games.

Despite losses to key players, including centre Brayden Point, the Lightning are 34-14-4 this season, tied with the Minnesota Wild for second in the NHL.

It’s an incredible turnaround for a team that started 1-4-2, allowing 36 goals in those seven games.

“You’ve just got to have that patience sometimes. It’s not going to (be) easy all the time,” Hedman said Thursday. “The run we’ve been on lately has been so impressive, but if you look at our division, there’s not a whole lot of wiggle room.

“For us, it’s about trying to keep that consistency in our game. The guys are doing a great job.”

The latest victory was a 4-1 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets. It featured most of the ingredients that have led to so much success during Hedman’s tenure.

The foundation begins with a commitment to team defence that is bolstered by exceptional goaltending, with franchise pillar Andrei Vasilevskiy having one of the best seasons of his career. Vasilevskiy’s 2.04 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 34 starts have him tied for top spot in both categories among starting goalies.

Those are similar numbers to what Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck put up when he won his third Vezina Trophy and first Hart Trophy last season.

Vasilevskiy is in a battle with Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders for the Vezina as the third quarter of the campaign nears its completion.

You could also make the case that both should be under consideration for the Hart Trophy, but Vasilevskiy has competition on his team for that award from winger Nikita Kucherov.

Kucherov continues to shine in his 12th NHL season and thanks to a two-point outing on Thursday, he’s up to 27 goals and 82 points in 48 games, which has him third in the Art Ross Trophy chase behind Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.

Kucherov is the main driver of the Lightning offence, but he’s far from a one-man band, since Jake Guentzel (25 goals, 55 points) and Brandon Hagel (26 goals, 49 points) have joined him in hitting the 20-goal plateau.

On defence, Darren Raddysh picked a great time to deliver a career-year and by chipping in a goal and two helpers against the Jets, he’s up to 15 goals and 47 points in 48 games.

Those are numbers that should have him in the discussion for Top-10 Norris Trophy votes.

“There are no excuses,” said Lightning defenceman JJ Moser. “Every team around the league has injuries and that’s part of the season. We knew that it was going to happen sooner or later to a different kind of degree of severity. A lot of guys have stepped up in a good way and it shows that we were able to get past that and thrive in that situation a lot of people would look at as not ideal.

“That’s the culture that they’ve created here and it’s great to be a part of.”

One of the most impressive parts has been the team’s ability to integrate players into a system that features aggressive play in all three zones, fuelled by speed.

There are also a number of homegrown players that have graduated from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League to make significant contributions, including centre Jack Finley, who played for the Winnipeg Ice of the Western Hockey League during the 2021-22 season.

“Being in Syracuse, there’s always hope that you’re going to get called up and help this team. We’ve seen it in year’s past,” said Finley, who appeared in his 21st NHL game on Thursday after being chosen by the Lightning in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft. “To be able to go for three years in Syracuse and to now be here, I’m proud of my development down there and I’m grateful for everyone that’s helped down there.”

Coaching is another aspect that can’t be overlooked as two-time Stanley Cup champion Jon Cooper might finally be in line to win his first Jack Adams Trophy as NHL coach of the year.

Cooper has been pushing all the right buttons with this group, despite some pundits wondering if this might be the season the Lightning took a step back and missed the playoffs.Instead, the group is making a strong case that they’re one of the top contenders for the Stanley Cup, which would be the fourth in franchise history (2004, 2020, 2021).

“(Cooper) is super calm and obviously very smart,” said Moser. “Obviously, he has to be the decision-maker. But he’s good at giving you the feeling that you’re heard. If you have players that feel you care about what they think, you want to give more.

“There’s confidence and calmness in times of struggle. There’s no panic, no chaos. This is what we have to do. It’s very logical.”

Folks around the league are wondering what Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois might have in store prior to the NHL trade deadline, as he’s consistently taken big swings to try to bolster his roster.

“It starts from the top down,” said Jets defenceman Luke Schenn, who helped the Lightning capture Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. “Great ownership (from Jeff Vinik) and then, with Julien (BriseBois), he’ll do whatever it takes in terms of doing everything he can to build his roster to have the best chance to win.

“Players weren’t afraid to talk about the Stanley Cup. It was always what the end goal was. (Cooper) would always say work over hope and process over outcome. There were a lot of things that stuck with me.”

AROUND THE GLASS

FLORIDA’S WINTER WONDERLAND: A lot of the talk at the morning skate on Thursday revolved around the outdoor game that is set to be played Sunday at the home of the NFLs Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raymond James Stadium, between the Lightning and Boston Bruins as part of the NHL Stadium Series.

Hedman is trending towards returning to game action Sunday and was asked if he could have imagined suiting up in an outdoor game in sunny Florida in front of roughly 70,000 fans when he arrived on the scene as the second overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft.

“No, never in my wildest dreams,” said Hedman. “It just goes to show how hockey has grown in this state. Having a Florida team in the final for six straight years has helped, too. Hockey has become such a big part of this city and I’m super pumped to be a part of it for such a long time.”

Hedman will soon be representing Sweden in the Olympics in Italy as his country tries to win a gold medal 20 years after Henrik Lundqvist, Nicklas Lindstrom, Peter Forsberg, Daniel Alfredssoon, the Sedin twins, Mats Sundin and Co. did so in Torino.

“Growing up back home, the biggest dream was to play in the Olympics and play for the three crowns,” said Hedman, who turned 35 last month. “It means the world to all of us. We’re going to go there and try to repeat what they did.

“I get goose bumps just thinking about it. It’s going to be my first and my last Olympics. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of deal and it’s pretty much the only thing that is missing in my career and now, I get to do that.”

CHIAROT EXTENDS: Former Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot inked a three-year contract extension earlier this week with the Detroit Red Wings that carries an AAV of US$3.85 million.

That’s a modest pay decrease from the US$4.75 million he made during the four-year deal that expires at the end of this season.

At 35 years old and given what he’s been able to contribute on a team that is battling the Lightning for top spot in the Atlantic Division, you can understand why Chiarot wanted to stay put instead of testing the market again on July 1.

There was plenty of chatter around how Chiarot handled his first round of free agency in the summer of 2019, when the Jets offered more total money on a four-year contract, but the rugged blue-liner opted for a three-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens that featured a slightly elevated AAV.

The thinking was that Chiarot would be able to cash in on one more deal when he was a UFA again at 31, rather than take the security of the four-year deal that would have expired at 32.

That proved to work out well in the end for Chiarot, who was chosen in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers and played in 305 regular season games with the Jets over six seasons.

Not only did he cash in with the original contract with the Red Wings, but he inked another that will take him through to 38.

Provided he stays healthy, Chiarot is on pace to earn a silver stick for playing 1,000 NHL games as he’s at 778 and counting.

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