For four-and-a-half seasons, Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh secured the Lightning blue line, giving them one of the toughest defensive cores in the league. When McDonagh was traded to Nashville in July 2022, the Lightning lost a key piece to their room. In Tampa, everyone knew they weren’t the same team, but from the outside looking in, it seemed like McDonagh found his new home with the Predators.

In May, GM Julien BriseBois announced that the Lightning re-acquired McDonagh and a 2024 fourth-round pick from the Predators for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 seventh-rounder.

“It was a request a little bit from Ryan,” Predators GM Barry Trotz said. “We talked at the end of the year and he’s got so many good memories of his time in Tampa, that’s probably where him and his wife are going to settle. For me, he’s been such a fantastic leader and someone who I have so much respect for. He said if there’s ever an opportunity for me to get back to Tampa, he asked if I’d explore that a little bit. And so out of respect and the type of person that Ryan is, I talked to Julien and he made a fair deal that would allow us to have Ryan go back to Tampa Bay and do the right thing.”

“Sometimes in this game you try to do the right thing for good people and Ryan is one of the best leaders that I’ve ever been associated with. I’ve had some great leaders and he’s up there with the greats.”

For a short time, Lightning fans had hopes for a Stanley Cup reunion of their Captain Steven Stamkos, and his two best buds Hedman and McDonagh. That wasn’t where things were headed.

On July 1st it was announced that Stamkos was signing with Nashville after negotiations with the Lightning didn’t go as he had hoped.

“Obviously, with the McDonagh situation, we pretty much flip-flopped. They had amazing things to say about the city and this organization as well,” Stamkos said on Tuesday in his first in-person press conference with his new team.

Now with Stamkos in Nashville, and McDonagh back in Tampa, the team is certainly going to have an adjustment period. One piece that remains steady for fans is Victor Hedman.

The star defenseman is expected to be the next leader of the team and has been an alternate captain alongside Stamkos since the 2018-19 season. The two have always been a packaged deal, and grew up together after being drafted one year apart.

For fans still processing the loss of their captain, Hedman can certainly help. He has the same demeanor and humility as Stamkos. He’s humble, loves the fans and wants to do right by the city. The transition won’t be easy for him either. Neither Hedman or Stamkos ever imagined finishing their careers on different teams. The reality, at least for now, is that they will have to.

“I know this zoom press conference is about the extension but first and foremost, obviously I want to circle back to the events yesterday and losing a guy that has been my best friend for the past 15 years,” Hedman said of Stamkos after signing a new 4-year extension with the Lightning.

“What made him so good as a person? Everything. He’s just been a tremendous role model for so many players that came through and still are with the Lightning. Just everything about him. He’s just Mr. Perfect.”

There’s no question that moving on will be a constant effort for the Lightning. Stamkos was the team’s captain for 10 years, and I’m not sure that’s something you can ever replace, but they do have a solid leader in Hedman. McDonagh, a former Rangers captain will likely be right beside him.

For years, McDonagh has been known around the league for his leadership. His aggressiveness with and without the puck made him a key contributor in the Lightning’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, but his voice in the dressing room is what the Lightning will need the most.

The band is back together, but they’re missing the lead singer. Could that change in the future? Maybe? But for now, this is where things stand.

“It starts with me,” Hedman said. “I have to take another step in my leadership abilities.”

“There’s going to be a realization early on in training camp that Stammer isn’t there, and we’re just going to have to be ready for that. And, obviously for me, I just have to be ready to try and lead and steer the ship and just help the group to come together.”