It’s been seventeen years since the NHL has had an expansion draft. Since then, the Tampa Bay Lightning have won a Stanley Cup and appeared in a Cup final. They’ve gone from laughingstock to model franchise. General Manager Steve Yzerman has build an organization that runs deep with talent, so deep that narrowing down their protected list has proven difficult. So difficult that it factored into the trading of a number-three overall pick.
On Sunday, we will find out the lucky players that Mr. Yzerman deemed are the core of the franchise. The Lightning will then lose a player who is good enough to be an important part of the team.