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Lightning hire former Habs executive Julien BriseBois to be assistant GM

Montreal Canadiens fans are going to start developing a complex when it comes to the Tampa Bay Lightning and general manager Steve Yzerman. First it was Yzerman hiring former Hamilton Bulldogs head coach Guy Boucher away to be the new head man of the Lightning and now Yzerman’s new assistant general manager is a guy that Canadiens fans will know pretty well themselves as Erik Erlendsson from Bolts Report tells us.

The Tampa Bay Lightning hired former Montreal Canadiens executive Julien BriseBois as Assistant General Manager today, Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced. BriseBois will report directly to Yzerman and assist him in all aspects of contract preparation and negotiation, salary arbitration and player transactions for the Lightning and the Norfolk Admirals (as that team’s new General Manager), while also managing interpretation of the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement and the salary cap for Tampa Bay.

Obviously Yzerman is doing all he can to fill positions as best he can and he’s picking from some of the best, brightest and youngest minds around. Julien BriseBois is just 33 years-old and Guy Boucher is just 38 himself. Experience is clearly not the issue with Yzerman, just the best and the brightest minds and BriseBois is recognized as one of the best and brightest minds around and a guy who is savvy with numbers. BriseBois will likely fall in line as Yzerman’s capologist.

Another aspect to BriseBois’s resume is that he’s also a lawyer, having worked in sports law. A capologist lawyer savvy with numbers... Yeah, I think he’ll come in handy while negotiating with players worried about a potential work stoppage after the 2011-2012 season.

After years of mismanagement and salting the earth by previous owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules, new owner Jeff Vinik has already provided more support and stability to a franchise that was spiraling out of control fast. It’s crazy to think it was just six years ago the Lightning won the Stanley Cup, but two owners later here we are. Whether Yzerman’s executive youth movement pays off remains to be seen, but there’s hope in western Florida for the first time in a long time.