from Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times,

After winning three Stanley Cups as a player and another as an executive with the Red Wings, the Hockey Hall of Famer and one of the greatest players of all-time could put his name on the Cup for a fifth time. But this one is different. This time it's largely his doing. He built this team.

Hard to believe it has been five years since Yzerman was hired by owner Jeff Vinik to resurrect the Lightning. Taking over a franchise foundering near the bottom of the league, Yzerman came in and made sweeping changes. He hired Guy Boucher as coach and made several shrewd moves that helped Tampa Bay reach the Eastern Conference final in 2011.

But that was lightning in a bottle. Yzerman eventually fired Boucher, brought in Jon Cooper and laid the foundation for a team that made the playoffs last season. Yzerman managed the Lightning to the postseason despite losing star Steven Stamkos for half the season with a broken leg, then being forced to trade an unhappy Marty St. Louis for Ryan Callahan in a deal that has tilted heavily in Tampa Bay's favor.

"We made the playoffs last year and I think we were better than the 4-0 sweep to the Canadiens,'' Yzerman said. "I thought we had a competitive team.''

Competitive, but flawed. It was long on youth and short on grit. He addressed both deficiencies by bringing in veterans such as Anton Stralman, Brian Boyle, Brenden Morrow, Jason Garrison and Braydon Coburn. Those moves, along with stocking the team with solid young players such as Tyler Johnson and goalie Ben Bishop, have Yzerman being considered one of the best general managers in hockey. In fact, he is up for the NHL's GM of the year award, an award he should be favored to win.

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