Lightning GM Brian Lawton looked for ways to improve his team's position as they battle for the playoffs, reports the St. Petersburg Times.
However, instead of finding a top-six forward or a puck-moving defenseman Lawton dealt away center Jeff Halpern to the Los Angeles Kings for forward Ted Purcell and a third-round draft pick.
"We're trying to do something to better ourselves in the short term but also trying to maintain our focus and discipline for the long term, and that's what we accomplished," Lawton told the Times. "We got younger. We got a little more skill. We added a draft pick for the future."
While some options may have presented themselves, Lawton was not in a position to overpay for a rental player.
"It may give us some pop in the short term, but we're not going to overpay," Lawton said. "We could not trade first-round picks and things that are the lifeline in a salary cap world.
"We could have added a few players, but the requests were outlandish."
Files from:
St. Petersburg Times
