Victor Hedman played through a torn meniscus in his knee to help lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a second straight Stanley Cup and will be sidelined two to four weeks after surgery to repair the injury, general manager Julien BriseBois told reporters Tuesday.
BriseBois confirmed the star defenceman was hurt on March 30, which was previously reported by Sportsnet's Chris Johnston, when he went heavily into the boards after falling in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The 2020 Conn Smythe and 2018 Norris Trophy winner still finished the season with 45 points in 54 games, adding 18 in 23 post-season contests.
BriseBois also revealed fellow Lightning star Nikita Kucherov suffered a non-displaced rib fracture after taking a crosscheck to the body from Scott Mayfield in Game 6 of the team's Stanley Cup semifinal series against the New York Islanders. Kucherov, who still led the playoffs in scoring by nine points over teammate Brayden Point with a total of 32, wore a flak jacket the rest of the post-season and receive a nerve block before each game.
Key cogs Barclay Goodrow and Ryan McDonagh each broke a hand during the playoffs.
BrisBoise said none of the team's injuries will linger into next season.
