One on One interview with Tampa Bay GM
Dec 23, 2015 17:20:02 GMT -5
Rob, Beans (BOS), and 4 more like this
Post by Justin on Dec 23, 2015 17:20:02 GMT -5
I sit down with Lightning GM and head coach Justin J.
BM- Thanks for taking the time to sit down with me and answer some questions.
JJ- Not a problem Bobby.
BM- What was your thought process in ultimately deciding to make two big moves this week bringing in both veteran Jiri Hudler and youngster Hampus Lindholm? Did you think these moves were necessary?
JJ- Necessary no? Prior to the moves i thought we were a great team but we're in the business of winning Stanley cups and i think these guys can potentially put us one step closer to our goal. We want to have a winning culture here in Tampa and we feel those players have the passion we are looking for.
BM- Those were very good assets that you acquired. But in all trades where you acquire star players you usually have to give up plenty of assets yourself. What made you trade the players and picks that you did?
JJ- Well trading the picks were the easy part. I mean you always have to be careful when trading high draft picks or any draft picks for that matter because you could be missing out on someone that could really help you in the future. It's a gamble for sure but over all i'm happy with trading away the picks that we did because we know exactly what we have in Hudler and Lindholm. Not real surprises, and in the case of Lindholm we expect him to be a number 1 dman for us in a few years.
The hard part of a trade is trading away an actual player. They are the ones that have to uproot and disrupt their lives and family. It's tough moving players that you like. Lucic, Nesterov and Pacquette were all major parts of our team despite each of their roles. They are all quality players and there are reasons why the teams we traded with wanted them. They see what we see. Ultimately this is a business though and those players didn't quite fit into our vision of the future so we made changes but i thank each other of them for their services.
BM- Fair enough. Where will Hudler and Lindholm fit into your lineup? Will there be other moves and changes? We all know Tampa is tight to the cap and will eventually have to make moves to ensure they're under the cap next year.
JJ- Short answer is i don't know where they will fit into our lineup yet. We will think about that over Xmas break. Hudler could play on the 1st or 2nd line on either the left or right wing. He's versatile. He's already let me know that he's comfortable in any situation we put him in. He's here to score and for added leadership. You will likely see him on the powerplay at some point too. As far as Lindholm, he's going to be a star for sure and he's already super talented. Very defensive minded which we love. We will likely slot him on the 2nd/3rd line for now and take it from there. We expect him to be an an anchor on our penalty kill and if you've been taking notes it needs a lot of improvement.
As far as other moves and changes i'm always open. We don't envision any more big moves this season but little ones are never out of the question. We are pleased with the guys we have. Situations do arise where moves will have to be made but we're not looking to do anything else drastic this season. We are very close to the cap and we have been all season. Changes will have to be made but once again we won't make those decisions just yet. The players that standout the most with their ability to adhere to their role and perform how we want them to will be the likely ones that will stay.
BM- What's the future for Braydon Coburn? You bring in a player like Lindholm who is very similar to Coburn in many ways. Does that mean Coburn is the odd man out?
JJ- Haha, no. We love Coburn here. We have no immediate plans to trade or not to extend his contract at the end of the year. But i'd be silly if i said someone wasn't going to be the odd man out at some point because like you said we are close to the cap. We are taking our time and seeing how everything plays out. Each individuals player will determine how long they remain in a Lightning uniform.
BM- Last month there were rumors of you wanting to trade Ben Bishop. There were even unconfirmed reports (not by me haha) that there was even a deal in place. Can you clear that up for the viewers reading this?
JJ- I'm not really going to dive to much into the topic other than the fact that we did receive some calls from other GM's interested in his services but in the end the deal didn't make enough sense to us. Despite the rough start Ben is our guy. He's the guy we think is going to give us the best chance to win. It's as simple as that.
BM- A follow up to that question. What's does the future hold for your backup Andrei Vasilevskiy. Will he ever get a shot to be your number 1?
JJ- I've said it before Vasil is our future for sure. That's the plan anyway. Bishop isn't getting any younger but still has years of great goaltending behind him.
BM- What if Vasilevskiy turns into a legit number 1 while Bishop is still in his prime? How would you decide who gets the playing time? Would you be more likely to keep one or the other?
JJ- Anyone that has been paying close enough attention knows that Vasil isn't far off being a legit number 1. I will always put the guy in the net whom i feel will give us the best chance to win. I can think of a lot worse things than having two number 1 goalies. No plans to trade either one. Ask me again in a few years.
BM- Getting away from the Lightning for a moment. We are close to half way through the season. If award night was tonight who would be your picks for the top awards.
Hart, Vezina, Norris, Jack Adams, and finally GM of the year?
JJ- My self and my players aside? Hart- Doughty, he plays a complete game and just dominates. I also like Cammy in New Jersey and Forsberg in Nashville. Vezina- That kid from Washington, Grubauer is having a good season but not enough games played. There's no real clear guy that stands out right now. Norris- Doughty without question. Jack Adams- Jon from NJ. GM of the Year- If i can't pick myself i'd go with Jon from NJ as well.
BM- Final question, will the Tampa Bay Lightning hoist the Stanley cup come June?
JJ- If our boys want it as much as i want it then we have as good of a shot as anyone else.
BM- Thank you.
JJ- Thanks.
BM- Thanks for taking the time to sit down with me and answer some questions.
JJ- Not a problem Bobby.
BM- What was your thought process in ultimately deciding to make two big moves this week bringing in both veteran Jiri Hudler and youngster Hampus Lindholm? Did you think these moves were necessary?
JJ- Necessary no? Prior to the moves i thought we were a great team but we're in the business of winning Stanley cups and i think these guys can potentially put us one step closer to our goal. We want to have a winning culture here in Tampa and we feel those players have the passion we are looking for.
BM- Those were very good assets that you acquired. But in all trades where you acquire star players you usually have to give up plenty of assets yourself. What made you trade the players and picks that you did?
JJ- Well trading the picks were the easy part. I mean you always have to be careful when trading high draft picks or any draft picks for that matter because you could be missing out on someone that could really help you in the future. It's a gamble for sure but over all i'm happy with trading away the picks that we did because we know exactly what we have in Hudler and Lindholm. Not real surprises, and in the case of Lindholm we expect him to be a number 1 dman for us in a few years.
The hard part of a trade is trading away an actual player. They are the ones that have to uproot and disrupt their lives and family. It's tough moving players that you like. Lucic, Nesterov and Pacquette were all major parts of our team despite each of their roles. They are all quality players and there are reasons why the teams we traded with wanted them. They see what we see. Ultimately this is a business though and those players didn't quite fit into our vision of the future so we made changes but i thank each other of them for their services.
BM- Fair enough. Where will Hudler and Lindholm fit into your lineup? Will there be other moves and changes? We all know Tampa is tight to the cap and will eventually have to make moves to ensure they're under the cap next year.
JJ- Short answer is i don't know where they will fit into our lineup yet. We will think about that over Xmas break. Hudler could play on the 1st or 2nd line on either the left or right wing. He's versatile. He's already let me know that he's comfortable in any situation we put him in. He's here to score and for added leadership. You will likely see him on the powerplay at some point too. As far as Lindholm, he's going to be a star for sure and he's already super talented. Very defensive minded which we love. We will likely slot him on the 2nd/3rd line for now and take it from there. We expect him to be an an anchor on our penalty kill and if you've been taking notes it needs a lot of improvement.
As far as other moves and changes i'm always open. We don't envision any more big moves this season but little ones are never out of the question. We are pleased with the guys we have. Situations do arise where moves will have to be made but we're not looking to do anything else drastic this season. We are very close to the cap and we have been all season. Changes will have to be made but once again we won't make those decisions just yet. The players that standout the most with their ability to adhere to their role and perform how we want them to will be the likely ones that will stay.
BM- What's the future for Braydon Coburn? You bring in a player like Lindholm who is very similar to Coburn in many ways. Does that mean Coburn is the odd man out?
JJ- Haha, no. We love Coburn here. We have no immediate plans to trade or not to extend his contract at the end of the year. But i'd be silly if i said someone wasn't going to be the odd man out at some point because like you said we are close to the cap. We are taking our time and seeing how everything plays out. Each individuals player will determine how long they remain in a Lightning uniform.
BM- Last month there were rumors of you wanting to trade Ben Bishop. There were even unconfirmed reports (not by me haha) that there was even a deal in place. Can you clear that up for the viewers reading this?
JJ- I'm not really going to dive to much into the topic other than the fact that we did receive some calls from other GM's interested in his services but in the end the deal didn't make enough sense to us. Despite the rough start Ben is our guy. He's the guy we think is going to give us the best chance to win. It's as simple as that.
BM- A follow up to that question. What's does the future hold for your backup Andrei Vasilevskiy. Will he ever get a shot to be your number 1?
JJ- I've said it before Vasil is our future for sure. That's the plan anyway. Bishop isn't getting any younger but still has years of great goaltending behind him.
BM- What if Vasilevskiy turns into a legit number 1 while Bishop is still in his prime? How would you decide who gets the playing time? Would you be more likely to keep one or the other?
JJ- Anyone that has been paying close enough attention knows that Vasil isn't far off being a legit number 1. I will always put the guy in the net whom i feel will give us the best chance to win. I can think of a lot worse things than having two number 1 goalies. No plans to trade either one. Ask me again in a few years.
BM- Getting away from the Lightning for a moment. We are close to half way through the season. If award night was tonight who would be your picks for the top awards.
Hart, Vezina, Norris, Jack Adams, and finally GM of the year?
JJ- My self and my players aside? Hart- Doughty, he plays a complete game and just dominates. I also like Cammy in New Jersey and Forsberg in Nashville. Vezina- That kid from Washington, Grubauer is having a good season but not enough games played. There's no real clear guy that stands out right now. Norris- Doughty without question. Jack Adams- Jon from NJ. GM of the Year- If i can't pick myself i'd go with Jon from NJ as well.
BM- Final question, will the Tampa Bay Lightning hoist the Stanley cup come June?
JJ- If our boys want it as much as i want it then we have as good of a shot as anyone else.
BM- Thank you.
JJ- Thanks.