Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois made a bold, decisive and controversial move by allowing the face of the franchise to walk, says Ken Campbell.
Steven StamkosAs Pepper Brooks said to Cotton McKnight in the epic cinematic masterpiece that is Dodgeball: "It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for 'em."
Yeah, it's fair to say that letting your captain, your career leader in every category, your fan favorite and face of your franchise walk is a bold strategy. But that's exactly what Lightning GM Julien BriseBois did when he didn't re-sign Steven Stamkos before July 1.
And judging by what Stamkos has been saying and the fact that BriseBois gave a four-year deal worth $8 million per season to defenseman Victor Hedman, it's pretty clear there was really never any serious intention to re-sign Stamkos.
You can argue until you're blue in the face whether it was the right move, but you simply cannot argue that BriseBois did not do what he thinks is best for the short- and long-term future of the franchise. The Lightning have been ousted in the first round of the playoffs the past two years - and were swept by the Florida Panthers in 2024 - so BriseBois did not dip his toes into the water. He jumped in with both feet.
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