Since taking over as GM, Steve Yzerman has re-implemented a winning formula for the Lightning.
The transformation is not complete. But it's darn close.
Steve Yzerman's Tampa Bay Lightning has a very good chance to make it into the second round of the playoffs Wednesday night -- the first time the Lightning will have won a playoff round since it captured the Stanley Cup in 2003-04 if it is able to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins.
No easy task, to be sure, but regardless of the outcome of Game 7, you have to be impressed with the way the young general manager has brought credibility back to an organization that was dragged through the mud the past few years.
Yzerman was a hot ticket prior to committing to the Lightning and it was obvious, after studying at the University of Ken Holland, he'd ultimately run his own team. Sure it was tough to leave Detroit, the only NHL organization he'd ever worked for, but the time had come to spread his wings.
After a quick scan of the teams interested in hiring him, Yzerman determined Tampa Bay, if nurtured properly, could enjoy immediate positive results. How can you resist taking over a team that had a young scoring ace in Steven Stamkos, a proven leader and winner in Martin St. Louis and a potential defensive stud in Victor Hedman?
Of course there was a downside, too. The team's highest paid player, Vincent Lecavalier, was signed to one of those debilitating lifetime contracts by former owners Len Barrie and Oren Koulis and his play, partially due to injuries, had declined considerably. Lecavalier, who won the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2006-07 with 52 goals, slipped to 40 the following year then to 29 and 24 in the next two seasons. Clearly getting Lecavlier re-engaged was one of Yzerman's top priorities.
There were long stretches during this season when it looked like Yzerman might not succeed with this particular challenge, but late in the year -- and through the first round of the playoffs -- it is abundantly clear Lecavalier is finding his game.
Late in the season he started hitting on all cylinders, scoring nine goals and 17 points in Tampa Bay's final 14 regular season games and then, after going pointless in the Lightning's first playoff game, he had two goals and six assists in the next five. A strong performance from No. 4 on Wednesday could sway the series in Tampa Bay's favour.
More than anything, Yzerman had to get his team to understand the fine balance between scoring goals and entertaining the fans versus playing disciplined defensive hockey that leads to wins. For this particular challenge, Yzerman enlisted the help of rookie coach Guy Boucher who, like his boss, had others (namely the Columbus Blue Jackets) interested in his availability.
Boucher is a brash, no-nonsense guy who was exactly what the Lightning needed. He is focused and demanding; two traits shared by most successful coaches. Boucher has a vision of how he wants the game to be played and it's his way or the highway. He got the players to buy into his defence-first approach without squashing their natural offensive instincts and the results were remarkable.
After finishing 25th overall in 2009-10 with a record of 34-36-12, the Lightning finished eighth this year at 46-25-11. Further, the Lightning scored 217 goals and allowed 260 last season -- a differential of minus-43. This season, Tampa Bay scored 247 goals and allowed 240 for a plus-37 rating. Not a bad turnaround in one year!
Yzerman did a little tinkering along the way, too. When he realized his goaltending tandem of Mike Smith and Dan Ellis wasn't up to par, he acquired veteran Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders. Even though Roloson had not participated in the playoffs the previous four years and was 41-years old, Yzerman recognized a scrapper when he saw one. Roloson routinely gives his team a chance to win and you can't ask for much more than that.
Simply making the playoffs this season represented a significant step forward for the Lightning, but the story is not done yet. After falling behind 3-1 in the series, the Lightning crushed the Penguins 8-2 in Game 5 and then forced a Game 7 with a 4-2 win Monday.
All of which brings us to Wednesday night. The Penguins are a rather interesting story themselves, having overachieved in the eyes of many following the loss of their best two players -- Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin. Pittsburgh's success is a reflection of its great leadership at the top -- GM Ray Shero and coach Dan Bylsma.
This one is a coin toss, but there's something about this year's Lightning that has me convinced the best is yet to come.
