Tampa Bay Lightning still winning in 2017 Canadian trade – Hockey Writers – Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning won 3-2 in overtime against the Montreal Canadiens to take Game 2 on a goal by JJ Moser. His first goal of the playoffs tied the first-round series at 1-1, giving the Lightning payback for Sunday’s Game 1 overtime loss.

What stands out right after that is that this goal goes deeper than you might think. This time, and other times between the Lightning and Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, date back to a trade nearly a decade ago.

Time to procrastinate. We’ll look at how one move between these two teams sparks playoff moments and rivalry implications, including the latest game-winning goal.

Lightning and Canadiens Exchange First Rounders

It’s June 15, 2017. The Lightning will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four seasons. They began a renaissance at the deadline when they traded for Ben Bishop and Brian Boyle. Their attention turned to removing one small patch to set up another.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens were coming off the Atlantic Division title and were looking to find a way to increase their goaltending depth. Although they were good enough to win the Atlantic, they were 15th in goals per game. Their power play was also 19.7% in the NHL and they allowed the fourth fewest goals in the NHL.

Meanwhile, Nyazi has dropped to five goal-scoring matches compared to 16. They find trade partners for their needs. They dealt Jonathan Drouin and a conditional 2018 sixth-round pick to the Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and a conditional 2018 second-round pick.

During that time, Drouin was a regular member of the Lightning offense and was coming off highs for goals (21), assists (32) and points (53).

This trade will be among the last for either team in the 2016-17 calendar. As the calendar shifts to 2017-18, both teams will find themselves on separate paths.

Lightning’s Path to Stanley Cups, Canadiens Path to Rebuild

Sergachev finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting following his first season with the Lightning. On the offensive side, he scored 36 points per season in a Lightning jersey and had a career high of 64 points in the 2022-23 season.

At that time, Drouin did not reach those heights. He dealt with injuries most of the time in Montreal. However, in the one season he saw a playoff game with the Canadiens, he put up seven points in 10 games.

The Lightning quickly found themselves back on track and in contention, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Meanwhile, the Canadiens found themselves on the outside as they went from winning this division with 103 points to missing the playoffs by 71 points.

Both teams return to contention in the 2018-19 season. However, while the Lightning had a historic regular season and captured the President’s Trophy, the Canadiens missed the playoffs by two points.

The Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, which ultimately saw them take down the Canadiens in a rare Stanley Cup final. Sergachev had his name on the Cup twice and was part of a third consecutive trip to the final in 2022.

After a trip to the finals, the Canadiens, already the last team that season, slumped to finish with the worst record in hockey.

The Canadiens finished last in the league for the first time since the 1939-40 season and for the first time during the NHL’s expansion (1967-68 onwards). At the same time, they faced the need for a change of management and a restructuring that would transform them into the team they are now.

Drouin would not stick around to see the end of the rebuild as his final season with the team was 2022-23. He played for the Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, and St. Louis Blues, the last two this season. During his time with the Avalanche, he set a new career high with 56 points, his most since 2018-19.

Trade Tree Leads to Another Lightning Win Over Montreal

After the 2023-24 season, the Lightning retooled. Part of that was trading Sergachev to the newly formed Utah Hockey Club (now Mammoth), where he still plays to this day.

Part of that trade saw the Lightning acquire the aforementioned Moser. Now, you probably see where this is going.

As he was discovered by the Lightning, the Canadians finished rebuilding. Other key members who were present in that year 2021 to the finals, including Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, were part of the new success. It was all set for a repeat in this year’s playoffs.

The Canadiens won Game 1 in overtime, but the Lightning rallied in Game 2 to tie the series. This is where the domino effect ends for now.

When the Canadiens sent Sergachev to Tampa Bay, they weren’t just giving away a player who would beat them in the Stanley Cup Finals. They released a player who would have been traded for another player who scored a goal for them in extra time this season.

Sports are funny like that sometimes. I’m not sure I’d call it a full-circle minute, but it’s interesting how a move can seem to double benefit the same opponent with different players.

The series is not over. Canadians can still get the last laugh. However, for one night, the Lightning could claim to have won that trade from 2017 again.