GM says 'we're now chasing a championship'; Islanders' moves for Lane, Goring started 1980s dynasty
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Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as “The Hockey Maven,” shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday. This week breaks down a trade that could help the Tampa Bay Lightning’s bid for their fourth Stanley Cup championship and compares it to when the New York Islanders acquired Butch Goring on March 10, 1980, preceded by a deal for Gord Lane on Dec. 7, 1979, that launched their dynasty.
Four little words explained Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois’ feelings after a three-team deal with the Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings was completed March 5, two days before the NHL Trade Deadline:
“We’re a better team.”
Tampa Bay acquired forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand, defenseman Kyle Aucoin and a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Seattle got forward Michael Eyssimont, a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, a conditional first-round pick in 2026 and a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Detroit received a conditional fourth-round pick in 2025.
The Lightning won eight in a row from Feb. 4 to March 1 and are contending for the Atlantic Division title.
“We’re now chasing a championship,” BriseBois said. “What guides us is trying to win a championship. I’d rather have a lineup full of good players than a ton of draft picks in the bank. We still want to win a lot of hockey games this season.”
Bjorkstrand is a five-time 20-goal scorer and one of the best in late-game situations. Gourde played a significant role in Tampa Bay’s back-to-back Cup wins (2020, 2021) under coach Jon Cooper.
“Yanni has a ton of attributes that scream he’s a Bolt,” Cooper said.
The Lightning’s catch rekindles memories of a trade made 45 years ago this week when the New York Islanders acquired Butch Goring from the Los Angeles Kings on March 10, 1980.
Red Wings executive vice president Jimmy Devellano was then a chief scout under Islanders general manager Bill Torrey. He wrote in his autobiography, “The Road to Hockeytown: Jimmy Devellano’s Forty Years in the NHL” that the Goring trade would not have been possible without two previous moves.
“We never could have dealt for Butch had we not first gotten defenseman Gord Lane from (the Washington Capitals) in December 1979 for forward Mike Kaszycki,” Devellano said. “Then — after the 1980 Olympics — we took a gamble on Ken Morrow, an unknown defenseman we had picked in the fourth round of the 1976 Amateur Draft out of Bowling Green State University.”
The Islanders high command was unsure whether Morrow could adjust to the NHL tempo. Had he failed his NHL audition, there never would have been a Goring deal. That’s where the Lane deal turned out to be a savior.
“Lane was the perfect partner for me,” Morrow wrote in his new autobiography, “Miracle Gold, Four Stanley Cups, And A Lifetime of Islanders Hockey.”
“Gord was a guy no opponent wanted to mess with and to have him on the other side of the ice was a great help for me.”
Said Devellano: “Lane gave us the extra toughness we needed. Then we discovered Morrow was ready for prime time, so we could send Dave Lewis and Billy Harris to the Kings. It filled our need and was one of the best Deadline deals in history.”
Likewise, BriseBois hopes that Gourde and Bjorkstrand become the Lightning’s missing links. The trade follows their history of bringing in essential parts such as Stanley Cup Playoff warriors Ryan McDonagh and Patrick Maroon. It’s also one that Alan Greenberg, a hockey writer dating back to the Original Six era between 1942 and 1967, said is reminiscent of the trades that imported Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman, two forwards who played pivotal roles for Tampa Bay’s recent championship teams.
“We’ve added two skilled players who can play 200-foot games,” BriseBois said, “who are highly competitive, had success in the postseason, will play significant minutes and have elevated their game when it matters most.”
Historians long have claimed that Goring was the Islanders’ missing link that enabled them to finish the 1979-80 season 8-0 with four ties and eventually win four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. BriseBois appears to have that saga in mind.
“We’re chasing a championship now,” he said, “and we’re going to be chasing a championship next season.”
Then a pause.
“And for the foreseeable future.”
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