In praise of Steve Yzerman, samurai GM and Stamkos derby winner

“Should one ask: ‘How do I cope with a well-ordered enemy host about to attack me?’ I reply: ‘Seize something he cherishes and he will conform to your desires.’”- Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

Steve Yzerman is a samurai.

There’s really no other apt way to describe the patience, focus and clarity of mission that the Tampa Bay Lightning general manager has displayed in the last three season, including his masterpiece on Wednesday: Getting Steven Stamkos to sign an eight-year contract with a nominal $8.5 million cap hit, which is less than Corey Perry’s, who is five years his elder.

Yzerman had what Stamkos desired: The Tampa Bay Lightning.

Stamkos told him from the end of the season and throughout this process that he wanted to make it work in Tampa. It’s his home, but beyond that, it’s his hockey family. If there’s one lesson to be learned from the Chaos of June 29 it’s the value of seeing things through: Stamkos wanted to do so in Tampa; Taylor Hall wanted to do so with the Oilers, and when they traded him to the New Jersey Devils, he literally said Edmonton was “taken from him.”

So Yzerman had a couple of chips to play here: Prey on Stamkos’s desire to remain with the Lightning, and the obvious tax benefits to playing in Florida that could deliver a salary in line with what Toronto could offer but without the cap hit – and with the security of an eighth year.

But even with the patience of a samurai, Yzerman thought that Stamkos might have seen greener pastures. It’s hard not to when stories come out about taking a meeting with the CEO of Canadian Tire as part of one’s Toronto courtship.

The phone call on Wednesday from Stamkos’s agent surprised him.

“Yeah. I wasn’t expecting anything. You never know. Don’t close any doors. You know, you know …”

Yzerman pawed at the air like a tiger cub for a moment, struggling to contain the context and candor he no doubt wanted to share. About the process. About the waiting game. About that helpless feeling when you’re at the whim of the marketplace and someone else’s potential desire to leave.

“I was … surprised,” Yzerman finished, with a palpable grin. “But he’s very loyal, He’s an independent thinker.”

In other words, Yzerman sees his own virtues in Stamkos.

There are few general managers in the NHL with the bold vision that Steve Yzerman has for the Tampa Bay Lightning, nor with the confidence in their decisions.

We’re talking about a general manager that hired a coach with no NHL experience, and then when the time came to fire him, hired another coach with no NHL experience or professional playing experience in Jon Cooper.

We’re talking about a general manager who traded Cory Conacher in the middle of a Calder Trophy campaign for a part-time goalie named Ben Bishop.

We’re talking about a general manager who didn’t choose his star franchise player, Martin St. Louis, for the Olympics, and then had that star player turn up the heat on a long-simmering trade demand, and then didn’t blink until he got a deal from the New York Rangers – the only place he realistically could have traded him – and turned him into Ryan Callahan and two first-rounders. (OK, the less said about the Callahan contract, the better, but maybe Yzerman still proves us wrong there.)

We’re talking about a general manager who had his star rookie prospect, Jonathan Drouin, request a trade last November because he wasn’t happy with his role on the team. Yzerman didn’t blink, even as the hockey world demanded he move that asset by the trade deadline. By the playoffs, Drouin was playing a crucial role as Stamkos worked back from his blood clot. By the offseason, it was reported that Drouin dropped the demand.

Yzerman said he learned from the Drouin ordeal. “Think it through. Don’t act irrationally,” he said.

With Stamkos, the Lightning thought it through. The $8.5 million hit was what the Lightning needed going forward, with Nikita Kucherov due a new deal this summer and Tyler Johnson and Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat due next summer.

“This is what works for us,” said Yzerman of his offer to Stamkos.

And Stamkos understood to get what he wanted, to remain in Tampa, he had to make that work, too.

“We’re trying to keep as many free agents as we can. Trying to tell the guys what works,” said Yzerman. “Stammer’s decision will go a long way. Our captain did whatever he had to do to stay here.”

The captain leads. That’s what he does. It’s what Stamkos does for the Lightning as they push for a championship, and what Yzerman did for the Detroit Red Wings in winning multiple Stanley Cups. They make the sacrifice. They lead by example.

But the samurai? The samurai waits. Patiently. For the next battle to win.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.” – Sun Tsu.

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY