NEW YORK -- If events had turned out differently for the Tampa Bay Lightning during last June's Stanley Cup finals, defenseman Victor Hedman might have won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Instead, the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Lightning in six games and hoisted the Cup -- and Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith took home the hardware as MVP of the playoffs.
This postseason, Hedman is having a similar impact. Only two games into his team's Eastern Conference second-round series against the New York Islanders, the 25-year-old blueliner is again proving to be a vital part of his team's success.
His ability to succeed and produce in all three zones is especially important given the fact that the Lightning's blue line is depleted, with veteran defensemen Anton Stralman and Matt Carle sidelined because of injuries. Hedman has four points in seven playoff games this spring, but it has been his ability to control the play at both ends of the ice, while averaging 27 minutes per game, that has been particularly impressive.
"There's a lot on his shoulders," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.
The biggest challenge for Hedman has been facing Islanders captain John Tavares. Their matchup has been fun to watch, especially since Tavares and Hedman were selected Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the 2009 draft.
"The bigger the assignment, [the more Hedman] seems to rise to that occasion," Cooper said. "We need him back there. He played 27-plus [minutes in Game 2] but it was a quality 27. As the pressure mounted on us to respond in [Game 2], No. 77, along with [goalie Ben Bishop], those guys led the way."
The series is knotted at 1-1, and Games 3 and 4 will be played at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Tuesday and Friday. Because the Islanders will be on home ice, New York coach Jack Capuano will attempt to keep Tavares away from matching up against Hedman.
Tavares was a point-producing machine in the first round against the Florida Panthers. He scored five goals and added four assists for nine points in six games. In the first two games against the Lightning in Tampa, Tavares had one goal and one assist.
"He's been huge for them back there," Tavares said of Hedman. "It's no secret he had a great playoffs last year, and the last few years he has been one of the top defenseman in the league. [Because of] his combination of size and mobility ... and his abilities to make plays and exit his zone as well, he's a guy we want to make it hard on."
Hedman, who scored a power-play goal in Game 2, also provided one assist in each of the first two games of this series. He does it all. Because of his ability, and because he's so in sync with Stralman, Hedman was named to the Swedish team for the World Cup of Hockey.
"We feel like he's the complete package," Sweden coach Rikard Gronborg said of Hedman. "He has size, skill, skating and the ability to play in all three zones. He's hard to play against with length and width. He also has great chemistry with Anton Stralman.
"Last year's run in the Stanley Cup playoffs kind of showed what kind of premier defenseman he is, and even this year he's logging quite a bit of minutes. It was nice for us to see him compete and be a big part of a team that almost made it all the way. Absolutely, it's one of the things we're looking at, the success of the team and being a top player on a squad like that."
Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, 39, owns a Norris Trophy and a Stanley Cup championship. During his career, he has been considered one of the best shutdown defensemen in the game. When he was 25 and playing for the Ottawa Senators, he was not nearly as talented as Hedman is now. It took Chara a lot of work on and off the ice to accomplish what he has in this game, and he didn't earn his first Norris until he was 31. Hedman has the natural ability and should be one of the league's best for a very long time.
"He's a stud," one Western Conference scout said of the 6-foot-6, 229-pound Hedman. "He's good and strong in all situations -- he's had to be with Stralman out -- but he can be an elite D-man, with his size and game, when he is at his best."
Until his injury, Stralman had been Tampa's most consistent player the entire 2015-16 season. Hedman has been solid too. But when he's on this stage, at this point of the season, his true talents emerge. He was a major reason the Lightning reached the Stanley Cup finals in 2015 and if they can fight their way back in 2016, Hedman will once again prove his worth to the world as an elite defenseman.