NHL: Julien Brisebois satisfied with the shopping he did (Lightning)

The Tampa Bay Lightning are not in a good position at this time of the season compared to previous years. With 72 points, eight behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and third in the Atlantic Division, John Cooper's men are the last team drafted in the East.

To give his team every chance to make the playoffs, Julien Brisebois got his hands on Anthony Duclair and Matt Dumba just hours before the end of the trade deadline. The general manager says he's excited about what these two players can bring to the Lightning.

“I went looking for Anthony (Duclear) and Matt (Dumba) to increase our chances of success. For us, the playoffs have already begun, and every match is of great importance. This is the message I sent to the players,” he explained during the presentation. 5 to 7.

Acquired from the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night, Quebecer Duclair will be named to the seventh team since the start of his NHL career. He is an offensive player, collecting 27 points, including 16 goals, this season in San Jose.

On the other hand, it was not the attacking aspect that interested Brisebois in Doumba, but rather the physical aspect. The six-foot defenseman was a perfect fit for the Bolts.

Brisebois added: “Dumba is used to playing big minutes in every match. He plays more than 20 minutes every evening.” He is able to compete against the best opposing trios and enjoys making life difficult for other teams' talent. This is the asset we need between now and the end of the season.

“These are two players who thrive on challenges and have, generally speaking, throughout their careers, been able to raise their game as the game becomes more important, and these are the things that will ensure we will be a team that will experience a little more.” Success at the end of the season. »

Dumba was in his first season with the Arizona Coyotes after spending the past 10 years with the Minnesota Wild. During the current season, he played 58 matches and collected 10 points before changing his title. Dumba signed a one-year, $3.9 million contract with the Coyotes last summer. It will be eligible for full autonomy again next July.

With the loss of Mikhail Sergachev, who underwent tibia and fibula surgery last February, Tampa Bay was looking for an outfielder who could play right tackle. Dumba fills that box.

BriseBois did not reveal whether he wanted to repatriate David Savard. The latter played 14 games at the end of the 2020-21 season for the Lightning. Then he helped Tampa Bay win the title against the Montreal Canadiens.

There is no sense of urgency

The man who also serves as the Lightning's president of hockey operations isn't worried about the opportunity to win another Stanley Cup.

“We still have several years to go,” BriseBois believes. Our core is still very strong and very experienced. This core has talent and a very high competitive spirit, and this will give us the opportunity to chase championships not only this season, but for years to come. »

An important element of the Bolts' “core” is of course Russian goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy. Despite missing training camp and the first month and a half of the season, Vasilevskiy is the third goaltender with the most wins since 1^any December is tied with Sergei Bobrovsky with 20 wins. He was surpassed in this regard only by Thatcher Demko (22 years old) and Stuart Skinner (21 years old).

For his part, Nikita Kucherov is the second-leading scorer in the NHL with 106 points.

The Lightning have a two-point lead over the New York Islanders, but the latter have two games in hand. Tampa Bay continues its quest for a ticket to the playoffs by facing the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow.