Lightning ‘just have to look forward’ after Stamkos departure, Hedman says

TAMPA -- Victor Hedman had been tied to Steven Stamkos for the entirety of his NHL career. The two were drafted a year apart and tasked with being foundational pieces for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Hedman signed a four-year, $32 million contract ($8 million average annual value) with the Lightning on Tuesday, a deal that begins in 2025-26 and could ensure the 33-year-old defenseman finishes his career with Tampa Bay. But he will no longer be tied to Stamkos; the 34-year-old forward became an unrestricted free agent and signed a four-year contract ($8 million AAV) with the Nashville Predators on Monday, marking the end of his 16-season run with the Lightning.

“I strongly admire what ‘Stammer’ has done for not just me, but for the whole city and organization by being a big part of winning two Stanley Cups and having all the records that he has,” Hedman said. “He is one of the best to ever play the game. It was a sad day yesterday, [but] you just have to look forward. It’s going to take a while.”

In their 15 seasons together, Hedman and Stamkos led Tampa Bay to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. Stamkos won the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2010 and 2012 as the NHL’s leading goal-scorer; Hedman won the Norris Trophy as top defenseman in 2018 and the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2020.

Stamkos currently holds the record for most games played with the Lightning (1,082), but if Hedman (1,052) stays healthy he'll pass him this season. Hedman is third in franchise history with 572 assists, but he will likely pass Stamkos (582) and Martin St Louis (588) this season as well.

Hedman was the No. 2 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, a year after the Lightning took Stamkos No. 1. They grew together to be dynamic teammates on the ice and best of friends away from it.

“For me, coming over from Sweden was a tough step, but he was one of those guys that really stepped up and helped me get acclimated to life in the U.S.,” Hedman said. “We always had so much fun together, on the ice, off the ice, playing golf, whatever. We’re competitive when it comes to golf or playing cards. Stuff like that I’m really going to miss.”

When the Lightning honored Stamkos for reaching 1,000 NHL games on April 11, 2023, it was Hedman who presented him with his custom Rolex watch. When it was Hedman’s turn eight months later, Stamkos was there to return the favor.

“We’ve gone through so many ups and downs together and have come out on the right side of it,” Stamkos said at the time. “I didn’t know what to expect when we first met, but we were pretty much thrown in this league together around the same time. We became close, our girlfriends, who are now our wives, became close. We will always be there for each other.”

But it seemed to be a foregone conclusion Stamkos would be playing elsewhere in 2024-25 once Tampa Bay acquired the rights to Jake Guentzel from the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, then signed the forward to a seven-year contract ($9 million AAV) the following day.

Guentzel is 29, five years younger than Stamkos. He had 77 points (30 goals, 47 assists) in 67 games for the Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins last season.

“I know the fans are disappointed,” Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said Monday. “I know Steven’s disappointed, and I’m disappointed. Like everyone, I wanted Stammer to stay in Tampa and finish his career with the Lightning. But like for every player, there are also limits. I felt like we had limits we could allocate in terms of cap space to him.

“Obviously, Stammer is sincere in all of his statements that he wanted to stay in Tampa. That shouldn’t be questioned. At the same time, it was clear throughout our process that he also had financial expectations that he expected us to meet.

“Ultimately, I felt and made the decision that if I agreed to the terms that he wanted in order to get a deal done, I would not be putting ourselves in the best position to chase championships going forward.”

Hedman is committed to helping fill the leadership void left by Stamkos’ departure, but on Tuesday he wasn’t ready to entertain the idea of becoming Lightning captain, a role Stamkos held for the past 10 years.

“[It’s] way too soon,” Hedman said. “I look at myself as a leader. I’ve been an alternate captain for many years behind the best captain in the game. We’ll see where it goes in the future.

“Like I said, it's so fresh and emotional right now."

NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika contributed to this report