Lightning open to adding before deadline — The Fourth Period
The Tampa Bay Lightning sit atop the Atlantic Division heading into Sunday’s Stadium Series game against the Boston Bruins inside Raymond James Stadium and while they feel good about their positioning, GM Julien BriseBois is exploring ways to further improve his club.
In an interview with David Pagnotta and Dennis Bernstein on Faceoff Live, the pregame show on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio ahead of the outdoor game, BriseBois talked about the opportunity to add to his group before the March 6 trade deadline.
“Most years, we approach (the deadline) like we are approaching it now,” BriseBois explained. “There are very few opportunities over the course of a calendar year where you can add talent to your team. There’s really two windows that are most conducive to that. There’s the period around the Draft and the start of free agency in late-June, early-July, and there’s the period leading up to the trade deadline. That’s when some players become available.
“We’re looking at things through the same prism we usually do. If there’s an opportunity for us to add a player that will make us better now and beyond, that would be our priority.”
With limited salary cap space to play with, any impact addition the Lightning attempt to make may likely result in a roster player packaged in a deal out of town.
As Pagnotta reported earlier in the week, the Bolts are believed to be dangling some of their prospects, which aligns with BriseBois’ insinuation that any big move would help the team for years to come.
BriseBois also acknowledged his team is a desirable destination for players and mentioned his team checks a lot of boxes, from the players on the ice to the coaches on the bench to the market itself, but one thing trumps it all.
“I think first and foremost, is the opportunity to win. I think that’s what it comes down to,” he said. “They know if they come to our organization, they’re going to play with some really good players, players that have a track record of winning.”
