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The news from Bombshell fell on Tuesday, as Steve Yzerman is moving into an advisory role with the Tampa Bay Lightning, while Julien BriseBois gets a promotion to GM.
It's a lot to do and the hockey world is struggling to find out what's going to happen with Stevie Y and why Stevie Y is retiring. Can Yzerman come home to the Detroit Red Wings?, or perhaps preparing the ground to be a potential team for expansion in Seattle?
These questions – with a simple "Wait, what? "- immediately think about this news.
But what about the Lightning side of the equation?
BriseBois (on the right picture of Jacques Martin in the main image of this post) has been rumored by GM for some time, so the 41-year-old wears his hype in his promotion. It is undoubtedly considered a big part of the situation in Tampa Bay, including performing an outstanding operation for their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
Now, it's his chance to justify this hype, and while Yzerman has done a great job of entrusting stars Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman with team-friendly extensions, BriseBois is struggling to make it all happen. promise.
Consider some of the key decisions that BriseBois needs to make over the next two years:
The bill arrives for Vasi
Andrei Vasilevskiy is two years old, he remains a good deal at 3.5 million dollars. Immerse yourself in this exceptional value for a moment, while his Vezina campaign was a failure while his energy decreased in 2017-18, he was still a worthy finalist at a remarkably cheap price.
These savings will not last forever, although it will be noted that the 24-year-old will again be registered as a RFA. (Seriously, this team is a well-oiled machine for managing ceilings.)
Can BriseBois take advantage of this last year of the call for applications to save money, or the type of term that would benefit Tampa Bay? The future of Vasilevskiy is one of the most decisive scenarios.
Karlsson Court?
Could he make a big noise by getting Erik Karlsson?
It would be tricky, but it's worth exploring, especially if the Golden Knights are trying to push back the star defender after Max Pacioretty's landing.
Cap Friendly says the Tampa Bay ceiling space is only $ 2.646 million, so a Karlsson transaction could be easier around the trade deadline. And, really, such an initiative seems hard to imagine if the Senators really ask Bobby Ryan or Marian Gaborik to be part of a package. Maybe the boat sailed once Tampa Bay is committed to Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller, along with Kucherov, anyway.
Still, one has to wonder: would BriseBois pursue Karlsson – or perhaps another dazzling update – with even more force than Yzerman?
Young weapons
Returning to situations with bright young players, Yanni Gourde and Brayden Point enter into contract.
Gourde (26, cap 1M $ hit in 2018-19) should become a UFA, while Point (22, cheap recruit) would become a RFA. BriseBois must evaluate the extra level of leverage each striker could get – or lose – by playing his bids and reacting accordingly. Would that save money by signing them soon, or would it be better to see where the ceiling comes in for 2019-20?
(No matter what it's worth, Point has mostly evolved into the WHL before blossoming with the Lightning, while Gourde started his Crunch days in 2013-14.)
In defense
Whether he makes the improbable choice of landing Karlsson or not, some decisions are emerging regarding the Lightning's defense.
Certainly, Stevie Y and BriseBois have already made the biggest effort, as most NHL teams would train to create a trio like Hedman, McDonagh and Sergachev, especially if the veterans are locked up in the long run and Sergachev two other seasons.
Nevertheless, this team has high ambitions. Around this trio with other skilled defenders, it could mean the difference between hoisting the Stanley Cup or turning around with nostalgia.
Anton Stralman could be the odd man among the skilled defensemen, as his $ 4.5 million success comes due after this season, and he's probably showing signs of already declining to 32. It's probably a relief that Braydon Coburn ($ 33, $ 3.7 million) and Dan Girardi ($ 34, $ 3 million) will see their offers expire, but Tampa Bay could see a lot of experience evaporate in the near future.
A savvy GM would use these contracts in the process of expiration to escape trouble or to take rentals. To get rid of Ryan Callahan's contract would be huge, and it is plausible that BriseBois is much more interested in doing it than Yzerman, who seemed to like collecting old Rangers.
Beyond these older defenders, BriseBois will need to ensure the value of the younger contracts that come due at Slater Koekkoek and Jake Dotchin.
L & # 39; coach?
Jon Cooper is an excellent quote. He has also been successful pretty much everywhere he went, jostling himself through obscure coaching gigs to get to Tampa Bay. You could do a lot more harm than staying with him.
While BriseBois must respect Cooper – he briefly directed the Crunch – Cooper may not be "his guy". Even if it is, if it is believed that Cooper is approaching its expiration date, some points – then it is a situation to look at.
The Lightning does not operate in a pressure cooker in a hockey market, which could explain why it has not absorbed too much criticism after missing the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2018, not to mention the playoffs in 2016 -17. Given the context, it is quite reasonable that they do not draw much heat.
The heat could really increase if the Lightning does not meet expectations this time, especially if Cooper seems to commit typical sins of coaching the NHL as not trusting enough young players. One could say that he should have given Sergachev a longer leash last season, among other things, so it's not totally out of the question.
***
If you polled the NHL leaders about GM's "dream" jobs, the Lightning would almost certainly be in the top five. In many cases, they would probably rank first.
So, there are many blessings that come with that, although the curse is that critics will be severe if BriseBois stumbles now that he has won first prize.
Just or not, many will consider it a failure if this exceptional Lightning core fails to find the second Stanley Cup franchise (and maybe more). There are more difficult situations, but that does not necessarily mean it's easy work.
–
James O & # 39; Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Leave him a line to [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.
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