2015 NHL Awards: Steve Yzerman Wins General Manager Of The Year

Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman has been named the General Manager of the Year at the 2015 NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

The Tampa Bay Lightning has just one representative at the 2015 NHL Awards. Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman was named as a finalist for the General Manager of the Year Award. We may only have one player in the game this season, but there is no denying that he is a winner.

That’s right ladies and gentlemen…Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman has been named the General Manager of the Year at the 2015 NHL Awards.

The 2014-15 National Hockey League season has come to an end, but before we turn our eyes to the 2015-16 season it is time to take one final look back at the amazing season we just witnessed and award the players, coaches, and general managers who have achieved so much both on and off the ice this season.

There is no denying that Steve Yzerman has been instrumental to the success of the Tampa Bay Lightning from the very first moment he joined the organization. In the 2010-11 season, the Tampa Bay Lightning defied all the odds and came within just one game of a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

In a season that was supposed to begin a serious rebuilding period for the Lightning, that is one serious accomplishment. As we mentioned in our preview for the NHL Awards, the one thing that Yzerman has been incredibly successful at in his time at the helm of the Tampa Bay Lightning is building a core of young, skilled players that are more than capable of being the present and future of the Lightning.

This was highlighted this season as young players like Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn, and Cedric Paquette all become household names and breakout stars in both the regular season and the Tampa Bay Lightning post-season quest for the Stanley Cup.

While the Tampa Bay Lightning may not have been able to bring Lord Stanley’s Cup back to Hockey Paradise to work on his tan once again, we have no doubt in our minds that under Steve Yzerman’s leadership combined with the coaching of Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper, this will not be the last time you hear the Lightning’s name in discussions about Stanley Cup contenders.

Now, the leader of the Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning will prepare to head to the BB&T Center in Sunrise alongside Director of Amateur Scouting Al Murray to do what they do best; help build the future of the Tampa Bay Lightning at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

We here at Bolts By The Bay would like to congratulate Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman on winning the General Manager of the Year Award.

What do you think has been Yzerman’s best move since coming to the Tampa Bay Lightning? What do you think Yzerman has in store for us as we turn our eyes to next season? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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