Some expected Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois to be more cautious this trade deadline; some expected he'd be aggressive to chase a third consecutive championship again. His previous overpays for pieces to augment a Stanley Cup-contending (and winning) roster paid off in 2020 and 2021. Now, he's looked around the league, seen the calls every other contender has made and decided to slide his chips forward—calmly reminding the rest of the NHL, "The Cup isn't leaving Tampa Bay without a fight."
It makes perfect sense in a division as top-heavy as the Atlantic—mortgage the future for a chance to become the greatest dynasty the NHL has seen in the salary cap era.