The struggling Lightning are finally testing Steve Yzerman’s patience

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Lace ‘em up. Time for the Morning Skate.

The latest speculation around the sputtering Tampa Bay Lightning is somewhat jarring.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported early this week that Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman wants to trade for a big-name player to send a “jolt” through the lineup. As our Raw Charge blog notes, TSN’s Bob McKenzie says Yzerman is willing to trade “anyone” at this point.

A couple of thoughts.

First, I trust both of those guys more than anyone in the business. As you should, too. But by “anyone,” I don’t think he means Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, or Jonathan Drouin. The verbiage is important, though, because it’s a message to the team. No one is safe. We need to do better, or else.

What’s compelling about these two reports, to me, is that it flies in the face of what I imagine Yzerman to be as a general manager. This is a man who, in the face of Drouin’s repeated trade requests last year, refused to budge despite (one would assume) numerous trade calls about him. Since taking the job, Yzerman has demonstrated the patience of more veteran GMs.

So it would seem that his patience is being tested by his struggling club now more than it’s ever been. Yzerman is savvy; even if the trade deadline remains quiet overall, a rare swing-for-the-fences move by the Lightning GM will be quite a show.