The Tampa Bay Lightning are close to getting No. 1 defenseman Victor Hedman back into the lineup.
The 6-foot-5 defender took to the ice with teammates on Tuesday wearing a contact practice jersey.
Victor Hedman on the ice today no longer wearing the red no-contact jersey #TBLightning pic.twitter.com/f0brIPfXHh
— Michelle Gingras (@michellegingras) November 26, 2014
Hedman sustained a broken hand blocking a shot in a game against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 18. Now that he's been cleared for contact, it's a matter of getting his fitness level back to a point where he's able to return.
That timeline would match what Jon Cooper said Monday about Hedman being about "half a fortnight away" from returning to action, which is jolly good news for the Lightning.
In Hedman's absence, the Lightning have gone 9-5-1 while outscoring their opponents 42-32 at even strength, while controlling 52.3 percent of five-on-five shot attempts. In other words, the Lightning are really, really good even without Hedman.
With him? They're about to become completely terrifying.