More Changes Coming In Tampa Bay, Detroit Front Offices

The Tampa Bay Lightning recently saw senior adviser Steve Yzerman head home to Michigan to re-join the Detroit Red Wings, leaving GM Julien BriseBois in charge of the ship moving forward. Immediately there was speculation that Yzerman could bring some of the Lightning front office with him, given that he had hired many of them when he took the job in 2010. It seems that speculation was correct, as AGM Pat Verbeek will be heading to Detroit to join Yzerman, while Jamie Pushor, Stacy Roest and Al Murray are all staying with the Lightning. All three have received AGM titles, while Mathieu Darche has also been hired as director of hockey operations.

Yzerman had this to say about Verbeek:

Pat Verbeek is one of the brightest minds and hardest workers in the game and has been a trusted and valued resource to me throughout my management career. He played a pivotal role in helping build the Lightning into a Stanley Cup contender throughout his tenure with the organization. I’m very excited to have Pat on board in Detroit and look forward to continuing to work alongside him.

The two have been together for some time, with Verbeek serving as a pro scout for the Red Wings between 2006-10 before following Yzerman to Tampa Bay. Even before that the two were teammates with Detroit, and obviously bring a great working relationship to their new task. Verbeek has consistently been mentioned for possible GM roles of his own, but will join Yzerman in trying to turn around the Red Wings and build them back into a Stanley Cup contender.

For Tampa Bay, holding onto some of their core staff was key. The three men work in separate divisions of the front office, as Pushor serves as director of player personnel, Roest is director of player development and Murray is director of amateur scouting. Each of them have proven their worth over the years, turning late-round picks into NHL stars while maintaining a tenable cap situation. BriseBois has some tough decisions to make over the next few months after a disappointing playoff exit, but will at least have a good chunk of his team still in place to help.