Hedman to undergo elbow procedure, out until February

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman will undergo an elbow procedure Monday, the team announced Friday.

The seven-time All-Star defenseman will be sidelined until early February but is still expected to represent Team Sweden at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Hedman exited Tuesday's contest against the Montreal Canadiens after just returning from a 12-game absence due to an undisclosed injury.

The two-time Cup champion has recorded 12 assists over 18 games this year while averaging roughly 21 minutes of ice time.

The 17-year veteran has 806 points over 1,149 career contests and has averaged nearly 79 games played per season over the past four campaigns.

Despite missing multiple stars for portions of the season, the Lightning sit atop the Atlantic Division with an 18-11-2 record