Tampa Bay Lightning announce new captain after Steven Stamkos departure
The Tampa Bay Lightning lost a major part of their identity to free agency this off-season, and now they've officially named their 11th captain in franchise history, Victor Hedman.
Earlier this off-season, the Tampa Bay Lightning did the unthinkable, as they allowed captain Steven Stamkos to walk away in free agency, ultimately landing with the Nashville Predators. The move was a mind-boggling one for Tampa Bay, as they still believe they can compete for the Stanley Cup, as the team would ultimately replace him with Jake Guentzel before handing Victor Hedman a massive extension.
Now, after that extension, the 33-year old is in the headlines again, as the team have officially announced him as the 11th captain in the history of the organization.
This move isn't a shocking one, as Hedman has also been with the organization since he was drafted No. 2 overall back in 2009, playing 1,072 games with the team since that point, tallying an impressive 156 goals and 728 points over that time. On top of that, Hedman has been a key part of the team's two Stanley Cup runs in the modern era, and at 33-years of age, he's the perfect player to lead this team into the future.
One has to wonder exactly why the team moved on from Stamkos, as he was still playing at a very high level, but now that the dust settled on his move, picking Hedman was the right choice for Tampa Bay as they look to chase their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history this season.
| POLL | ||
Was Victor Hedman the right choice to be captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning? | ||
| Yes | 196 | 82.7 % |
| No | 41 | 17.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
