Tampa Bay Lightning Hire Steve Yzerman: Will It Hurt the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Mark RitterMay 25, 2010

Unless you are living under a rock you have probably heard that Detroit Red Wing legend Steve Yzerman has signed on as the Tampa Bay Lightning's general manager.

For Yzerman, the chance to become an NHL GM was just too good to pass on, even if he had a great chance of eventually replacing Ken Holland as the Wings GM.

Truth be told, Yzerman obviously didn’t want to wait for his chance to manage his own team any longer. So, after saying “no thanks” as many as four time before accepting Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s numerous offers, Yzerman finally succumbed to his persistent wooing.

For the Lightning, Yzerman brings instant credibility to a team that has struggled both financially and at the box office since they beat the Calgary Flames en route to winning the Stanley Cup in 2004.

Constant ownership issues, a decrease in fan interest and the stranglehold of Vincent Lecavalier’s massive contract all conspired to hurt the Lightning, eventually reducing the team to a place NHL players wanted to avoid.

The drafting of Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman provided the fans with something to believe in for the future. This season Tampa’s fans watched as Hedman commenced his evolution as a top defenseman and Stamkos made his mark as the NHL’s top scorer in one of the best sophomore performances in decades.

At the end of the day it’s not players that put fannies in the seats, it’s wins. The 2009-10 season saw the Lightning experience some modest success, although they did fail to make the playoffs.

Clearly, with Yzerman in the fold and the ownership questions in the past, the Lightning finally have both stability and leadership. With budding stars such as Stamkos and Hedman making their marks early on in their careers and veteran forwards Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis still providing fans with highlight reel plays on occasion, the Lightning look to be on an upswing.

With that in mind, how will Yzerman’s arrival in Tampa affect the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Not unlike the Lightning, the Leafs offer unrestricted free agent players a decent opportunity at becoming a part of a franchise that is on the upswing.

Toronto boasts a decent mix of veterans in Francois Beauchemin, J.S Giguere, and Tomas Kaberle while also incorporating an impressive list of young talent in Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak, Jonas Gustavsson, and others.

That said, when you look at the Leafs and Lightning’s rosters, one has to believe that Tampa would get the nod from many UFA’s—especially now that Yzerman is in the fold.

On the flip-side, Leafs GM Brian Burke, while very charismatic in his own way, (fairly or unfairly) is considered by many to be a hard-nosed, no-nonsense type of GM.

Comparatively, Yzerman—who admittedly has no NHL GM experience—is viewed by many to be charismatic, connected, smart, efficient, a leader and, in many respects, the future of the NHL.

Simply put, I ask you: if you were a talented UFA, which team would you rather play for—Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs or Stevie Y and the Tampa Bay Lightning?

Okay, so money would clearly be a factor, but everything being equal, one has to think many NHL players would pick the tranquil atmosphere that is Tampa over the media frenzy that is Toronto.

Make no mistake about it, Yzerman is one tough cookie—a player who often confronted players when they were not pulling their weight and a player that has always led by example.

Many expect Yzerman to be the same as GM—fair, yet demanding. Let’s face it, Steve Yzerman’s players will be accountable. Tampa will not be a place for those players unwilling to give it their all.

Many NHL players strive for leadership and the belief that both management and coaches can make them and their teams into a winner. Yzerman has that kind of cache...does Burke still have it?

In the end, the Tampa Bay Lightning have improved their reputation ten-fold and, in the process, have taken away from their Eastern Conference counterparts, including the Leafs.

The excitement of many players to play for Yzerman may very well cost the Leafs (and other Eastern Conference teams) a chance to sign a key UFA. That key UFA could be the difference between making the playoffs and not.

So, I ask you: Will Steve Yzerman’s signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning effect the Toronto Maple Leafs? You betcha!