Lightning's Hedman signs five-year extension

The Tampa Bay Lightning locked up another cornerstone on Wednesday, signing 20-year-old defenseman Victor Hedman to a five-year contract extension worth $4 million a season that will carry through the 2016-17 season.

Hedman was scheduled to be a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

"I'm very excited to be staying in Tampa for a long time," Hedman said. "I want to thank ownership and Steve (Yzerman) for believing in me and giving me the chance to develop as a player. I love it in Tampa, I love the guys and you couldn't ask for a better team to play for."

The move comes four months after the team signed center Steven Stamkos to a five-year deal that will carry through the end of the 2015-16 season. The two moves ensure that two of the team's bright young stars will remain with the Lightning for the foreseeable future.

Hedman, who turns 21 on Dec. 18, was the second overall pick in the 2009 draft, one year after Stamkos was selected with the first overall pick. Together the two are expected to be pillars of the franchise for years to come.

"These two guys, to have them here for five years, and hopefully a heck of a lot longer than that,'' Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said. "Their best years are ahead of them, and as long as they continue with the work ethic they have and the drive that they have, they are just going to get better and better.''

Hedman experienced ups and downs throughout his rookie season and into the start of last season. But since a one-on-one talk with head coach Guy Boucher last December, Hedman has been one of the team's most improved players. While he has scored nine goals and 48 points in 173 career games heading into Wednesday, it has been the play in the defensive zone that Hedman has improved by leaps and bounds, particularly during last season's run to the Eastern Conference Final.

The 20-year-old entered Wednesday averaging 22 minutes, 55 seconds of ice time, second on the team behind Eric Brewer, while leading the team in shorthanded ice time at 3:40 per game, 19th most in the league.

"He had a good solid year last year and really took off in the playoffs,'' Yzerman said. "And there have been some games here early on this season where his skating, his reach, his strength where I sit up and think 'That's pretty impressive,' and he's in his third year in the league.

"Most 20-year-olds are not in the league and he's playing (22 minutes) a night for us. But he's just getting better and better, learning the position and nuances of defense. He's not just a good athlete out there, he's become a real smart defensive player.''