LeBrun: What will the Lightning pull off at this year’s trade deadline?

We have been conditioned to take with a grain of salt any proclamation from Julien BriseBois that he won’t be able to do much at the trade deadline.

The Lightning general manager has downplayed deadline expectations in years past, only to see his nose grow after adding the likes of Blake Coleman (February 2020), Barclay Goodrow (February 2020), David Savard (April 2021) and Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul before last year’s deadline.

The Bolts always seem to find a way.

And perhaps knowing we’ve caught on to his desire to lower expectations, BriseBois this time around is acknowledging his hope to add to his three-time-defending Eastern Conference championship team, albeit with more limited assets.

“I think we’re going in with the same mindset, being that we’re going to be on the lookout (to add at the deadline), as we always are,” BriseBois conceded in a one-on-one with The Athletic this week. “And it’s a year-round process, we’re always on the lookout for opportunities to increase our odds of winning a Stanley Cup.

“Again this year we don’t really have cap space. It would have to be a dollar-in, dollar-out situation. That’s the reality of being a team that spends the entire season in (long-term injured reserve).”

The Lightning have $719,000 in actual cap space, BriseBois noted, which doesn’t even meet the league minimum salary for a player.

But, again, the Lightning have been creative in the past, for example involving the Red Wings before the deadline to help broker the Savard deal with Columbus. So as a general rule, I try not to get too caught up with what the cap numbers say. Cup contenders find ways to add if they find a fit.

There’s no doubt, though, that one significant change for the Lightning heading into this deadline is that they don’t have the most sought-after currency for most selling teams.

“We don’t have our first-round pick this year. We don’t have our first-round pick next year,” BriseBois said. “We’re missing a second-round pick. We’ve used a lot of those assets to build up the team that we have right now that’s performing at a very high level. So that’s a difference from years past leading up to the deadline. We don’t have those types of assets right now to make the big splash.”

BriseBois pointed to Paul, acquired for a 2024 fourth-round draft pick plus 2015 fourth-rounder Mathieu Joseph, as the type of supporting-cast guy the Lightning could target this season, rather than getting into the bidding for the sexier names that are out there at the top of the trade board.

And BriseBois won’t allow himself to get caught up in an arms race with fellow Atlantic Division contenders Boston and Toronto, regardless of what those clubs end up doing at the deadline.

“I can’t worry about that,” the Bolts GM said. “My focus has to be on: How can we be the best Tampa Bay Lightning possible? We have the players to go on a long playoff run. And this group of players, the Kucherovs, the Points, the Cirellis, Stamkoses, Hedmans, Sergachevs, Vasilevlskiys, they’ve proven they can get it done when it matters. Time and time again they’ve come through for us.

“Based on their play during this regular season, there’s no reason to believe that they can’t do it again. So, the focus is on being the best Tampa Bay Lightning team we can be — hopefully getting into the playoffs, hopefully getting into the playoffs healthy and peaking at the right time.

“If you start doing something just to do something at the deadline because the competition’s done something, well, the deadline isn’t necessarily the best time to do something to start with; you’re paying wholesale prices at that point.

“I think it’s best to proceed with equanimity and make sure that what we do makes sense for our group.”

Hey, it’s a good day when you get to work “equanimity” in a hockey article. But yes, BriseBois’ track record is one of a composed and calm GM around the deadline.

There was sticker shock, at least from outside the organization, when Tampa Bay gave up two first-round picks for Brandon Hagel last season before the deadline. But it was well worth it in BriseBois’ eyes, getting a player at that cap number ($1.5 million) who’s under contract for a couple more years (signed through 2023-24) and still a restricted free agent after that.

“We were getting a really good, versatile all-around competitive hockey player in his early 20s and getting him for at least five years,” said BriseBois of that trade last year.

And Hagel has certainly fit in well. But that exact deal isn’t available this time around without first-round picks.

“Even if I wanted to make another Hagel-type trade, I don’t have the assets to do that,” BriseBois said.

What the Lightning can do is dip into their prospects pool, which ranked low in Scott Wheeler’s recent organizational rankings, but there’s some players there.

“It’s funny, two GMs who recently saw (AHL) Syracuse play said they were impressed how many good prospects we have and that’s how we feel about them as well,” BriseBois said, crediting the Lightning’s development team and also Crunch head coach Benoit Groulx for helping those prospects reach their potential.

And it goes without saying that Tampa Bay’s ability to draft players despite never having high picks remains part of their success.

“People who watch the Crunch play would know we have good players coming,” BriseBois said. “I’m really grateful for the people involved in our development program, they’ve done a tremendous job in allowing us to resupply the roster year in and year out with new, fresh blood.”

One way or another, the Bolts are back for another run at it. Their play so far this season suggests as much.

As head coach Jon Cooper talked about in a piece I wrote in December, this is a group that is dynasty chasing, and that’s a powerful motivation. Two Cups and three straight Final appearances, and the Lightning are hungry to add to it.

But the dynasty talk can wait for now.

“That’s a conversation for another day,” BriseBois said. “Time will tell how this group will be looked upon from a historical standpoint. I think the focus is on: We have a really good opportunity this year. You look at standings, we’re one of the top teams in our group. You look at our underlying numbers, we’re one of the top teams in the league. We’re a legitimate Stanley Cup contender again this year.

“We want to make the most of that opportunity. We want to take advantage of that opportunity, and we don’t want to look back with any regret.”

As for the trade deadline? Of course BriseBois will try to add within the confines of what we talked about above. But so far the market hasn’t really heated up yet, he said.

“I think it’s pretty quiet right now,” he said. “Too many teams are still fighting for a playoff spot. As we get closer to the deadline, it will probably become a little more active, as it is every year. But right now, there aren’t that many sellers yet.”

Based on his track record, hard to imagine BriseBois not getting something done.

(Top photo of Nicholas Paul and Brandon Hagel: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)