Victor Hedman is an easy player to notice on the Tampa Bay roster given his large, 6-foot-6 frame. But although the defenseman is still just 24 years old, his play on the ice gives his team direction as well -- at least as far as coach Jon Cooper is concerned.
"If I look at our year, obviously [goaltender Ben Bishop] is the guy that anchors us back there, but when Hedman is going, our team’s going," Cooper told reporters Tuesday. "Sometimes when he’s not, our team isn’t, and that says a lot about a player that he has that much effect on our team."
Hedman leads the Lightning in time on ice in the playoffs (22:52) and leads Lightning defenseman with eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 15 games. He chips in on offense and defense, as he helped the Lightning create separation in the third period of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a great cross-ice pass from the point down low to Alex Killorn to set Killorn up perfectly for a backdoor goal.
"I don’t think you get to this part of the season without having a top, elite-tier defenseman," Cooper told reporters. "And [Hedman] is that for us, I think."
(h/t Pro Hockey Talk)
Photo credit: AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
