And they might just pull it off. That's because while his counterparts in south Florida, Colorado, Calgary and New York were all busy acquiring rentals to bolster their post-season prospects ahead of Monday's trade deadline, BriseBois thought big picture and landed a player that can not only help his team win this season but for the next two seasons, as well.
On Friday afternoon, the Lightning sent forwards Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh, along with two number ones to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Brandon Hagel and a fourth rounder. Leaving aside the draft picks, the two players the Blackhawks received have a grand total of 7 goals; Hagel already has 21 with 22 games left in the regular season. Depending on where head coach Jon Cooper decides to play him, it's conceivable Hagel might end up with 30 goals.
This was a heist, pure and simple. Screw the number ones. Two years ago, the Bolts gave up two number ones to New Jersey and San Jose to land Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow respectively and it helped them win back-to-back Stanley Cups. Well this move is Coleman / Barclay on steroids. And best of all, BriseBois didn't add a single cent to the team's salary cap. That's because the two contracts that he sent to Chicago and the one he inherited from them cancel each other out.
That's called genius, people. In one move, BriseBois lands a player with term who can help him now and in the future that he can afford to retain without having to scramble over the summer to cut salary. By comparison, none of the other players who were traded over the last few days are likely to be re-signed by their new teams.
There's a reason why some organizations are successful and some aren't. Julien BriseBois didn't build the Tampa Bay Lightning into the championship caliber team they currently are. That distinction belongs to Steve Yzerman, who as a player helped the Detroit Red Wings win back-to-back Cups in '97 and '98, and who is now in charge of rebuilding that once proud franchise.
But BriseBois has been the magician pulling one rabbit after another out of the hat, retooling this team on the fly. Absent his moves, the Lightning would be no better than the Edmonton Oilers or the Toronto Maple Leafs: teams that excel during the regular season only to fail miserably once the playoffs begin.
If I'm Chris Drury, I start taking notes. His move to acquire forward Frank Vatrano from the Florida Panthers for a fourth round pick was a no brainer. The Panthers needed to dump salary to make room for defenseman Ben Chiarot from the Montreal Canadiens, and the Rangers had more than enough space to accommodate his $2.5 million cap hit. A win for both sides.
But as valuable as he might be, Vatrano is a UFA after the season, and even if he'd be willing to re-sign for the same salary, it's doubtful the Rangers will be able to afford him. That's because they already have $71 million committed next year with only 16 players under contract. That leaves just over $11 million left to fill out the roster. And the lion's share of that will likely go to Ryan Strome or his replacement. Once the Sharks and Tomas Hertl agreed to terms on an eight-year deal worth $8.1 million per, any hope of getting Strome to accept a team-friendly deal to remain on Broadway went out the window.
Anyway you slice it, Drury will have his hands full trying to field a team that can contend for the Cup while still remaining cap compliant. If he's stuck, he could always ask BriseBois for a few pointers. In the NHL, there's no one better at navigating through the murky waters of the flat cap.
Like I said, genius.
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