The biggest reason the Tampa Bay Lightning have morphed into a juggernaut this year is the front office’s success in remaking the blue line over the last couple of seasons. It started with the acquisition of Mikhail Sergachev. It continued with the trade for Ryan McDonagh last February. And it took another sudden leap forward when Erik Cernak joined the team early this season.
The Slovak defender came to the Lightning in exchange for Ben Bishop at the 2017 trade deadline. At the time, the trade was underwhelming.