With the NHL’s trading deadline now just five days away, the lack of activity on the trade front proves the vast majority of NHL teams still believe that there is a seat waiting for them at the playoff table.
That is, almost everyone except the Tampa Bay Lightning. While the majority of GMs have been scrutinizing the standings over the past week, Lightning GM Steve Yzerman was busy wheeling and dealing.
Yzerman got down to business last Thursday, sending pending unrestricted free agent Dominic Moore and a seventh-round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks for a second-round selection in the 2012 NHL draft.
Two days later, the Lightning traded defenseman Pavel Kubina, another free-agent-to-be, to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second-round pick in either 2012 or 2013, a 2013 fourth-round choice and minor league left wing Jon Kalinski.
Yzerman’s next—and possibly his most controversial—move came on Tuesday when he dealt gritty power forward Steve Downie to the Colorado Avalanche. The Lighting would obtain defenseman Kyle Quincey, who Yzerman promptly shipped off to Detroit just minutes later in exchange for another first-round draft pick.
Whenever a team becomes a hard seller before a trade deadline, it takes fans a little time to adjust. But the Lightning’s latest string of moves is sure to leave plenty of their fans scratching their heads.
Thanks to last night’s 3-2 over Anahiem, the Bolts currently sit in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, just five points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final playoff spot. With their current positioning, the team isn’t exactly a long shot to qualify for the playoffs. And Yzerman even admitted trading Downie to the Avalanche was in the short term “maybe one step backwards,” which is not the best message for a team fighting for its playoff life.
But when you step back and see what Yzerman is doing by stockpiling draft picks, you see a guy setting up a team to win in the future—not just qualify for the postseason.
“I’m trading players and popular players for draft picks. These moves are made for the future,” Yzerman said. “My only message is I’m going to do what I feel is necessary to be a Stanley Cup contender, and I think these moves help us get going in that direction.”
photo credit: Fifth World Art
