One fringe benefit of becoming a newly-hired NHL general manager is that you are usually succeeding someone who was fired for not getting the job done.
Even modest success in that first season is much appreciated
But Julien BriseBois didn’t have the luxury of following a failed executive when he took over the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018. He followed Steve Yzerman, a fan favorite, an owner favorite. Yzerman had not managed the Lightning to a Stanley Cup championship, but he had built a team that seemed to be on the verge of getting there.
Yzerman is one of the NHL’s most respected people. He didn’t get fired. Far from it. Yzerman resigned because he didn’t like traveling back and forth from Detroit to Tampa. He didn’t like being away from his family as much as he was. Lightning owner Jeff Vinik tried to talk him out of leaving.
The BriseBois challenge was to follow someone whose departure made everyone sad.
Not only did BriseBois meet that challenge, but today BriseBois should rank ahead of Yzerman on the list of the NHL’s top general managers.
Yzerman is drawing high marks for his rebuilding efforts in Detroit. But his managerial resume doesn’t measure up to the BriseBois accomplishment of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
BriseBois was Yzerman’s highly regarded assistant when he was promoted. The Lightning believed he had the potential to be a quality general manager
But you can’t ever be sure a new hire will be everything you want him to be. BriseBois turned out to be that and more.
The Lightning aren’t favored to become the first team in 39 years to win three Cups in a row, but it’s not an impossibility. As is, the Lightning are only the second team in the salary cap era to win back-to-back titles.
Unquestionably, Yzerman’s fingerprints were all over the championships, particularly in the decision to draft goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, plus forward Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov among others.
But one major reason why the Lightning won those titles is that BriseBois made significant trades to make the Lightning harder to play against. He brought in guys like Patrick Maroon, Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman.
Another significant BriseBois contribution was the creativity he showed in using the Long-Term Injured Reserve to remedy his salary cap troubles.
NHL fans outside of Tampa were outraged that BriseBois figured out how to spend more than $98 million last season when the salary cap was $81.5 million.
People called it salary cap circumvention. But it wasn’t because his maneuvering was all permissible under the salary cap rules. BriseBois just did a better job figuring out how to make the rules work for his team.
Most of the complaining was done by fans who wished their general manager would make creative moves like BriseBois. Isn’t the GM supposed to do all he can, within the rules, to win a championship?
The other GM with back-to-back titles in the salary cap era is Jimmy Rutherford and he’s currently without a job. He surprised the Penguins by resigning last January.
What active general manager would you take ahead of BriseBois? Some might still take Yzerman. New York Islanders’ GM Lou Lamoriello is still revered. St. Louis Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong might get some votes. Washington’s Brian MacLellan?
When it comes to ranking general managers, it comes down to personal preference and managerial style. But the point is BriseBois is now fully established as one of the best GMs in the game. All of the disappointment over losing Yzerman is long forgotten.
Earlier this week, BriseBois agreed to a contract extension. Details were not revealed. He could have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the upcoming season. He probably didn’t even consider the possibility of leaving. Why would he?
While it’s true the team’s depth was eroded by salary cap issues this summer, the Lightning are still a contender. They should be strong for another few seasons. If they don’t win three in a row, they might be able to win three in four years. Or, Maybe three in six like the Blackhawks did from 2010 to 2015.
One thing BriseBois has proven is that he knows how to climb under the hood and get his machine ready for every race.