Stevie Y Goes To Central Florida

Fact is, Tampa might not be Steve Yzerman's dream position.

But it's available now, and it has some upside. More to the point, all the best jobs are taken and unavailable for at least another year. Sometimes, you have to take what's there.

Think about it. All the Original Six cities - Toronto, Montreal, Detroit, the New York Rangers, Boston and Chicago - have executes in charge who aren't going anywhere. The likeliest to open up any time soon would be the Rangers, but Glen Sather is still in charge and that might be Mark Messier's job when he's ready.

Based on Team Canada's performance at the recent worlds, Messier might not be ready quite yet.

Beyond that, the best positions would probably be Philly, Washington, Pittsburgh, Vancouver and Minnesota, depending on your perspective.

And those jobs are all taken. Canucks GM Mike Gillis might be on the shakiest ground, but that has another year, maybe two, to play out.

The other 19 spots, meanwhile, all have various upsides and downsides, again depending on your perspective. Fans of different teams will no doubt be deeply offended that others might not believe their teams are the most attractive in the sport for any executive. Edmonton and Calgary, for example, might be plum jobs to some, but both have very difficult contractual problems to work out and have GMs in place for at least another year. Ottawa is in good shape and is Yzerman's hometown, but Bryan Murray seems rock solid there.

Buffalo and San Jose are both good spots. But both have financial restrictions on what they can and can't do, and both have veteran GMs running the show.

Which brings us to the Lightning, and the weird historical twist that for the second time in hockey history, Yzerman follows Brian Lawton. The team has two quality veterans in Vinnie Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis, although Lecavalier has a nasty contract. Steve Stamkos is already a 50-goal man, Victor Hedman could be a stud defenceman and the Bolts have the sixth pick overall in the June draft.

The Bolts have a lot of expiring contracts and decent prospects. What matters most, of course, is whether new owner Jeff Vinik has the wherewithal and the intent to invest in the franchise, in which case he would be the first in a long line of owners to do so. This is a team that even when it was owned by Bill Davidson of Detroit, it was run on a bit of shoestring and without a long-term committment from ownership.

Some believe Vinik is different. Dave Nonis, who decided to stay with the Leafs for largely personal reasons, believes Vinik will be an excellent owner. Yzerman must believe that, too, or he would never have signed on with the Lightning.

His experience helping to run the Detroit Red Wings and in organizing the Canadian Olympic team that won gold three months ago in Vancouver suggest he has the makings of an excellent GM. Vinik has done well by clearing the team of all management and coaching committments, so Yzerman will have the freedom to shape his own future.

This gives Tampa credibility in the marketplace, which is good news for the Bettman administration, which has been trying to stabiize this franchise for years. In many ways, its not a bad market, with fans that have proven they will come out and support a winning team. There just hasn't been much consistency or commitment from ownership or management.

Comments

[guelphdad]

Gives him an opportunity to grow in a market with low expectations and out of the hyper-sensitive media spotlight that other markets have.

I think it would be a great opportunity to step into.

[Gregor Henderson]

Gillis might be "on the shakiest ground" out of the four teams that you named above, but that implies more than it should. Trust me when I tell you that he is firmly entrenched in Vancouver and has more than just another year or two to get the Canucks beyond the second round. It is laughable to suggest otherwise.

[desertdog]

Who will he pick for coach? Hitchcock, Andy Murray? or will he give his old winger Gerard Gallant another shot at the NHL?

[Matt B]

He'll do what most people do: start plucking from the organization he's from. Paul Maclean might get a shot. Maybe Barry Smith finally gets a head coaching job.

Still can't believe Vinny got that contract. He is good but never that good....

[curly]

I think Stevie Y might be over-hyped just a tad. Sure, he put together Team Canada, but wouldn't the average Canadian hockey fan assemble the same star-studded team, or a slight variation(no offence, Patrice Bergereon),that won gold? The Tampa Bay Lightning are NOT Team Canada.

[other mark]

Curly.... SY over-hyped? No credit for putting together team Canada? Then; state the obvious: "TB is not Team Canada." Exactly what was the point of your post? Are you suggesting he's not qualified for the job? Or, perhaps he will fail to make TB a better club? Try to make your opinion based on fact. For example; Fact: Yzerman has been around the most successful franchise in recent history at all levels of management with the exception of GM. Fact: being GM on Team Canada wasn't just about icing players and did come with some pressure, which he handled exceptionally well. Fact: SY has dialogue with all the league GM's already because of his Detroit/Team Canada positions. Fact: his reputation as a straight shooter and leader are impecable. So, in my opinion (based on facts) he will make a fine GM.

[Conn Smythe]

I think Tampa Bay is a good starting point for SY to learn the GM role. I don't think SY is over - hyped, but I also don't think he has proven anything yet (in the NHL). Other Mark, the fact that SY has dialogue with the other GM's in the league and he is a 'straight shooter' and a leader doesn't necessarily mean SY will be a fine GM. Those aren't facts that will prove SY will become a fine GM.

[Dave]

How does running an olympic hockey team provide any real GM experience? They simply give offers to 40 or so Canadian players and ask them to represent their country. The real job of an NHL GM is in contract negotiaons, trades, drafting and developing and working within a budget. None of these skills are utilized in being the GM of an olympic team. He was also helping to run one of the already best run NHL teams. I have no reason to doubt Yzerman's GM abilities but he has really done nothing to indicate that he can do the job. He was just a great player who is being given the chance.