Tampa Bay Lightning: Top Five Trades In Franchise History

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May 7, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Ryan Callahan (24) against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period in game four of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Montreal Canadiens defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Lightning organization has made many trades throughout it’s 23-year history. Which moves will be apart of the five best trades in team history?

If you’re a National Hockey League player, you know it is very rare that a player stays with the same team for the entirety of his playing career. It doesn’t happen that often, and the different options that come into play are signing somewhere as a free agent or being traded.

Most trades take years before you can select a winner and a loser, and different deals are made for a variety of reasons. Whether it be a trade deadline move to bolster the team’s roster, a high price player moved in an attempt to clear cap space, or draft picks swapped for one another, trades are a way to make your team better.

If you have been a fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning for some time now, you have seen both some really good trades that make you wanna dance around with joy and some really bad trades that make you want to rip your hair out. More times than not, however, the organization has made a move that benefits the team over the long haul.

Some of these moves as we look back on them today are steals and have benefited the Tampa Bay Lightning for many years. Others? Well, you wish you could just hit the reset button. For now, we are going to focus on the moves that helped the Lightning win its first Stanley Cup in franchise history, and make up the current roster looking to once again make a championship run.

Next: Number Five: Lightning Steal Dan Boyle From Panthers

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