According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Steve Yzerman is stepping down as the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He will remain with the team as a senior advisor. Current Tampa assistant general manager, Julien Brisebois is expected to take over his role as general manager.

There is word that Steve Yzerman is stepping down in TB, and Julien Brisebois will take over. More to come

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 11, 2018

Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman Stepping Down

Before joining the Lightning, Yzerman was the vice-president of the Detroit Red Wings after a long and successful career as a player with the club. Yzerman joined the Lightning back in 2010. Since that time Yzerman has been credited with building the Lightning into a Stanley Cup Contender. His team has been strong at the draft table, and Yzerman has brought in players like Mikhail Sergachev and Ryan McDonagh via recent trades. The Lightning have made the playoffs in three of the last four years including making it to the Stanley Cup Finals back in 2015. Over the last four years, Tampa went 194-108-28.  He won the NHL’s General Manager of the Year Award in 2015.

What’s Next for the Yzerman

With Yzerman only having a year left on his contract there are plenty of rumours around. Some believe he will head to Detroit, taking over as general manager from Ken Holland, who has two years left on his contract. Others have speculated that Yzerman is ready to walk away from the day-to-day general manager role for personal reasons, and may not seek another NHL job.

Yzerman’s legacy was built in Detroit. He spent 22 years as a player with the Red Wings then joined their front office once his playing career ended. Yzerman scored 692 goals along with 1,063 assists for 1,755 career points. As the team’s captain, he led the Wings to three Stanley Cup Championships during that time. Yzerman also was a nine-time all-star.

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