The Tampa Bay Lightning’s blueline is set to get a big boost in the coming days and weeks, as both Victor Hedman and Braydon Coburn are nearing returns to the lineup. There is a decent enough chance that both will be ready to go in time for the postseason.

With the Bolts heading straight for a playoff series in which they will hold home ice advantage, the news couldn’t come at a better time. In short, a team that is already dominant on home ice is about to get that much better. The Syracuse-esque defense core that has suited up for the last few games has done an admirable job, but Hedman and Coburn will certainly make the group better.

Per Bryan Burns of TampaBayLightning.com, Tampa head coach Jon Cooper indicated that there’s a “really good chance” that Hedman will be ready for Game One of the team’s Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series. Burns followed that up by noting that Hedman, who hasn’t played since March 30th, could even play in the Lightning’s final regular season games.

Coburn, the other player in question, isn’t expected to suit up for either Thursday’s game against New Jersey or Saturday’s season finale against the Bruins. According to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, however, Coburn does hope and think that he will be ready for the first game of the playoffs. The big defender, who was acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, only played in four games with Tampa Bay before being sidelined with an injury.

Regardless of which team the Lightning meet in the first round, the addition of both Hedman and Coburn could be a game-changer. A healthy Ben Bishop, a bolstered blueline, and a deep forward core add up to make Tampa one of the more dangerous teams in hockey. In the wide-open Eastern Conference, the sky is the limit. Victor Hedman and Braydon Coburn can help this group reach its potential.

As always, thanks for reading.

Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter.

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