Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman has been named a finalist for the 2014-15 General Manager of the Year in the National Hockey League.

The Tampa Bay Lightning prepare to take on the New York Rangers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but one of the biggest announcements to come out of the Bolts Nation today comes away from the ice.

During the pre-game coverage for tonight’s Game 4 matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers at Amalie Arena, the NBC Sports announce team announced the finalists for the National Hockey League General Manager of the Year. One of this year’s nominees bleeds Lightning blue.

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman has been named one of the finalists for the National Hockey League General Manager of the Year. Yzerman will be competing against some pretty decent competition.

Each and every nominee for General Manager of the Year has a team in the Conference Finale. Yzerman will be going up against Anaheim Ducks General Manager Bob Murray and New York Rangers General Manager Glen Sather. Each of them are worthy of being a finalist for the awards, but only one of them can come out on top.

There is no denying that the Tampa Bay Lightning has undergone some massive changes since Yzerman has taken over. The team has decided shifted towards younger and faster players. While some of us here in the Bolts Nation initially pushed back at the “Yzer-plan,” it has become clear that the evil genius knows exactly what he’s doing when it comes to putting together a killer roster.

Over the years, Steve Yzerman, along with Director of Amateur Scouting Al Murray, has used things like the draft and free agency period to cultivate a fast and dangerous offense and a solid, hard hitting defense in both the Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate Syracuse Crunch and here in Hockey Paradise.

One of the most significant additions that Yzerman has made in his time here in the Bolts Nation is Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop. Bishop has been a driving force for the Lightning this season. In the regular season, Bishop went 40-13-5 with a Goals Allowed Average of 2.32 and a Save Percentage of .916.

Bishop’s numbers in the post season look even better. In the post season, Bishop has gone 10-6-0 with a Goals Allowed Average of 2.03 and a Save Percentage of .925.

It is moves like these that will lead Yzerman to one of the biggest milestones in a General Manager’s career; the opportunity for the “House That Yzerman Built” to hoist the Stanley Cup once again.

Unfortunately, we will have to wait a little longer to see if Yzerman will walk away with another award to add to his storied resume. The NHL Awards will take place on June 24, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

Do you think Yzerman has proven himself enough to be crowned the National Hockey League’s General Manager of the Year? What do you think Yzerman’s biggest accomplishment has been since he has been here in Tampa? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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