Lightning place Victor Hedman on injured reserve

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Kyle Morton | Last updated Dec 11, 2025 11:40 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Lightning will continue to be without their captain and number one defenseman Victor Hedman, as they placed him on injured reserve on Thursday.

Hedman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, has 12 points (all assists) in 18 games played so far this year. He missed a stretch of games from November 8 to December 6 with an injury, and he was forced out of action after just 6:14 of ice time in Tuesday’s 6-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

After the game, head coach Jon Cooper implied to team reporter Gabby Shirley that Hedman’s issue was a re-aggravation of the prior injury.

Roster move: The #GoBolts have recalled D Declan Carlile from the Syracuse Crunch. Carlile has one goal and is +1 in nine games this season for the Lightning.

Defenseman Victor Hedman has been placed on IR to make room for the addition. pic.twitter.com/fUSC4W1J7d
— Benjamin Pierce (@BenjaminJReport) December 11, 2025

In a corresponding move, the Lightning recalled defenseman Declan Carlile from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. A six-foot-three undrafted free agent, Carlile has recorded 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points in 16 games played with the Crunch this season.

Cooper has been tasked with navigating a rash of injuries on his blue line throughout the first two months of this season. The current six-man unit after this transaction figures to consist of Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Maxwell Crozier, J.J. Moser, Darryn Radish, Emil Lilleberg and Carlile.

Beyond Hedman, fellow veterans Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak are also sidelined, with McDonagh on injured reserve while Cernak is out on a day-to-day basis.

Despite the injury bug, Tampa Bay has fared well this season after a slow start. The Lightning own a 17-11-2 record through 30 games, good enough to have them in second place in the Atlantic Division overall and first based on points percentage. The Bolts are a point behind the Detroit Red Wings for first place, though they have a game in hand.

The Lightning are slated to visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night, and they’ll continue their road trip against the New York Islanders on Saturday to wrap up their schedule for the week.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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