A few years ago, the Lightning was the team to beat. And the Canadiens learned that the hard way in the spring of 2021, unfortunately…
But little by little, we feel that the good years are behind the club.
This summer was very difficult. Replacing Steven Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev with Jake Guentzel and Ryan McDonagh/J.J Moser is not worthy of improvement… Leading this change : Julien BriseBois, the GM who has garnered so much praise in recent years. Far be it from me to see him fired, but Adam Proteau thinks he’s on the ejector seat in Tampa Bay.
Bolts GM Julien BriseBois has remade much of his roster, putting more pressure on himself than anyone else to succeed, says Adam Proteau: https://t.co/UhWWFQ56eW
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) July 14, 2024
“Time is running out for the Lightning’s talented core, and BriseBois must find a way to make his team thrive. If he can’t, it could be time for a change at the top of Tampa’s power pyramid.” – Adam Proteau
It’s fair to say that BriseBois will have to redouble his efforts if the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy are to win back the Stanley Cup together in Florida. The team may have acquired the services of a good young prospect in Conor Geekie by sending Sergachev to Salt Lake City, but losing its number 2 defenseman (number 1 on many teams) and captain is not ideal. And losing Stamkos to the Nashville Predators was THE big mistake for the Quebecer at the Lightning’s helm.
The club’s bank of prospects isn’t the fattest either.
In his text, Proteau says that money was never the biggest factor in Stamkos’ decision. But there’s a limit… The right-hander, who averaged almost a point a game last year, signed a four-year/$32 million deal with Nashville. If the Lightning GM had offered him two-three million dollars less than his counterpart in the country town, he probably would have stayed.
This decision could haunt BriseBois for a long time. And unfortunately, it may be the trigger for his eventual dismissal.
It remains to be seen whether he has any more tricks up his sleeve.
