The Tampa Bay Lightning have been widely regarded as one of the best-run operations in the National Hockey League basically since Jeff Vinik purchased the team. With back-to-back Stanley Cup championships now in their pocket, Julien BriseBois & Co. are reaping the rewards and flying even higher on public opinion. Based on the work of Dom Luszczyszyn at The Athletic, the Bolts have the top-ranked front office in the NHL, ranking first in public opinion across all categories.

For context, see below. The Lightning rank first in roster building, cap management, drafting and developing, trading, free agency, and vision:

The 2021 NHL front office confidence rankings have arrived. Unsurprisingly, the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champions have the top spot. https://t.co/0m9PABSSlK pic.twitter.com/sioTV3IKuP

— dom at the athletic (@domluszczyszyn) August 25, 2021

This obvious vote of confidence for BriseBois and his management team doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Unlike certain other teams around the league, where off-ice shenanigans make more noise than on-ice success, the Lightning function as a well-oiled machine. The front office doesn’t steal headlines; it just goes about its business efficiently and effectively, resulting in the best on-ice product the league has to offer.

Of course, it would have been easy for the Lightning’s management team to take things in a very different direction just a couple years ago. Following the 2019 first-round sweep at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Bolts could have blown things up, traded core pieces, or reset in a material way. They didn’t. The organization believed in its vision and its plan, and moved on from the disappointment with a commitment to do better. That commitment and patience paid off in spades. Entertainment, and sports in particular, can often be a search for immediate gratification or action; having the guts to resist that urge after such a disappointing sweep might be this management group’s pièce de résistance.

While the roster and product might look very different this coming season, Tampa Bay can sleep easy knowing that it has the two championships to show for this unparalleled run of success. Those championships are the result of years of stellar roster building, shrewd trades to address areas of need, masterful cap management, and a sprinkling of luck along the way. Jon Cooper and the players delivered on the ice, but it was the best front office in the league that put them in a position to do it.



As always, thanks for reading.

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