Victor Hedman said he expects the Tampa Bay Lightning to respond from losing to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final with hunger and motivation to get back there again this season.
“I think in the past we’ve been pretty good at putting the wins behind us and we have to do the same with losing,” the Lightning defenseman said in an interview that is part of this week’s episode of the “NHL @TheRink.” podcast. “You can learn from it. You can learn from it when you win. You can learn from it when you lose.”
Hedman said the biggest difference is Tampa Bay will miss some key players who were essential in a three-year run of dominance that featured Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021 before a six-game loss in the Cup Final last season.
Gone are defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Jan Rutta and forward Ondrej Palat; McDonagh was traded to the Nashville Predators, Palat signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Devils and Rutta signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“We can’t dwell on last year, we have to focus on what’s ahead,” Hedman said. “The one thing that is for certain is that you can’t change the past. We can learn from it, but I think guys are excited to get back at it.”
The full interview with Hedman can be heard on the podcast, along with an interview with the Calgary Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom.
In addition, co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke break down the Flames and the Pacific Division along with a deep dive into the excitement the Ottawa Senators have built among their fan base this offseason.
Rosen and Roarke also break down why each thinks the Toronto Maple Leafs center Austin Matthews won’t score 60 goals again this season after hitting that mark in 73 games last season.
The “NHL @TheRink” podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available onNHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
—
Listen: New episode of NHL @TheRink
.