Steve Yzerman is stepping down as the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, sources told The Athletic's Joe Smith. He discussed his decision with players during a meeting Tuesday.

Yzerman - who has one year remaining on his contract - will serve in an advisory role, while assistant general manager Julien BriseBois will take over as the team's GM.

Yzerman had served as the Lightning's GM since 2010. He previously served as the vice president and alternate governor of the Detroit Red Wings.

During his eight-year tenure with the Lightning, he helped the club reach the playoffs on five occasions, the Eastern Conference Final three times, and the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, where the team ultimately fell to the Chicago Blackhawks.

As for BriseBois, he's also been with the club since 2010 and has long been speculated to be in line for a general manager position.

Yzerman's run as Tampa's GM includes winning the General Manager of the Year Award during the 2014-15 season.

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The New York Rangers acquired defenseman Adam McQuaid from the Boston Bruins in exchange for defenseman Steven Kampfer, a fourth-round pick in 2019, and a conditional seventh-round pick, the team announced.

McQuaid has played his entire seven-year career with the Bruins, despite originally being drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round in 2005.

The 31-year-old was limited to just 38 games this past season, putting up one goal and three assists. He also contributed another goal and two points in 12 playoff games this past spring.

Kampfer, meanwhile, has jumped around the NHL during his six years in the league. He began his career playing 48 games for the Bruins between 2010-2012. From there he made stops with the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, and the Rangers.

In 166 career games Kampfer has tallied 10 goals, 26 points, and 82 penalty minutes.

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We use emojis every day to express our feelings or to illustrate a point.

Feeling cheeky? 😜 Rebellious? 😈 Spicy? 🌶 Ready for vacation? 🏝

With 2018-19 training camps opening this week, it's time to use our emoji vocabulary to describe the NHL's 31 clubs.

Here is one emoji taking the pre-camp temperature of each team.

ANAHEIM DUCKS - 💊

Please send medical care to Ryan Kesler, who remains on the fritz due to a hip injury. In late July, general manager Bob Murray was unable to guarantee the center's availability for the upcoming season. Kesler - who just turned 34 and is entering the third year of a six-year contract - had surgery in June 2017 and has dressed for 44 games since.

ARIZONA COYOTES - 🔮

What does the future hold in Glendale? Can the eternal rebuild feed off a strong second half in 2017-18 and the acquisition of Alex Galchenyuk? John Chayka is the NHL's most active GM, making splashes big and small. Expect that trend to continue as the process-oriented 29-year-old inches closer to the payoff.

BOSTON BRUINS - 🐣

In order to remain contenders, the Bruins need their lesser-known young forwards to hatch. Jake DeBrusk had his coming-out party this past spring, but he'll need to find another gear. Danton Heinen should be plenty motivated in a contract year. If unleashed, sniper Ryan Donato has the potential to contend for the Calder Trophy.

BUFFALO SABRES - 😂

Tears of joy. Rasmus Dahlin, presumed Sabres savior and the jelly to Jack Eichel's peanut butter, is weeks away from his NHL debut. He is joined by freshly acquired winger Jeff Skinner, who waived his no-trade clause for Western New York. The bar is so low in Buffalo that general optimism feels like a colossal step forward.

CALGARY FLAMES - 🔌

Can James Neal be the offensive spark plug worthy of a $28.75 million contract? Will the move to a new city, depth chart, and conference jolt Elias Lindholm's career? Might center Derek Ryan's contributions light a fire under the bottom six? Is familiar coach Bill Peters capable of coaxing Noah Hanifin into full bloom?

CAROLINA HURRICANES - 👽

Tom Dundon is an alien invading the NHL. Carolina's owner has been pulling all the hockey-ops strings lately, making his presence known at the draft and in free agency. The billionaire is an outsider now on the inside, essentially the GM despite hiring Don Waddell to work under that title. Dundon is an influencer to monitor during camp and beyond.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS - 🙏

Now accepting best wishes: Corey Crawford. The two-time Cup champ admitted in late July that he was still "not 100 percent" after spending months recovering from an undisclosed injury. Last week, club president John McDonough said he's "confident" Crawford will be ready for the start of camp. Frankly, Chicago is pretty screwed without its starter. That aging, expensive core needs reliable goaltending - and backup Cam Ward is not the answer.

COLORADO AVALANCHE - 🎟️

The NHL draft lottery may be nine months away, but it's already looming large in Denver thanks to the Matt Duchene swap. The Senators - set to finish at or near the bottom of the standings - owe Colorado their 2019 first-round pick, meaning Avs GM Joe Sakic could have a pair of lottery tickets. Not bad when Jack Hughes is the prize.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS - 🍞

The sticky situation involving the Breadman will dominate discussion around the Jackets until it's resolved. Artemi Panarin, the most dynamic player in franchise history and a 2019 unrestricted free agent, has expressed a desire to leave Columbus, but he may be moved before or during the season. Fireworks are coming - it's just a matter of when.

DALLAS STARS - 🤔

How will Jim Montgomery play his cards as the Stars switch from Ken Hitchcock to a rookie NHL coach? Lineup decisions awaiting Montgomery include: finding the right linemates for Valeri Nichushkin; managing Miro Heiskanen's rookie workload; and figuring out how to optimally deploy top-liners Alexander Radulov, Jamie Benn, and the politely disgruntled Tyler Seguin.

DETROIT RED WINGS - 🤝

A handshake may never materialize since one party won't be at camp, but the imminent generational changeover in Michigan will conjure up images of Henrik Zetterberg and Dylan Larkin exchanging pleasantries. His career in jeopardy, the soon-to-be 38-year-old Zetterberg will pass the baton to 22-year-old Larkin, who recently signed a five-year extension.

EDMONTON OILERS - 🚣

That's Connor McDavid rowing away. Not only are the 36-win Oilers bringing back a familiar roster - one that lacks any slam-dunk linemates for No. 97 - but the blue line looks awfully thin. Thanks to an offseason injury to Andrej Sekera, the defense falls off a cliff after Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, and potential holdout Darnell Nurse. Poor Cam Talbot.

FLORIDA PANTHERS - ⁉️

The exclamation point represents the hockey trade (Mike Hoffman for picks!). The question mark represents the real-life dynamics (will Hoffman’s off-ice baggage disrupt his segue to Florida?). Hoffman is a legitimate 35-goal, 70-point threat for the Panthers, but a period of awkwardness will likely precede any on-ice success.

LOS ANGELES KINGS - ⏳

The hourglass has been flipped. The 2012 and 2014 Cup winners are racing against time, trying to prop up an aging roster by funneling in low-impact youngsters and 35-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk. The latter will be a must-see attraction during Kings camp and through the exhibition schedule. Does Kovalchuk still have that magic scoring touch?

MINNESOTA WILD - 😐

As usual, the Wild are the Switzerland of the NHL: supremely neutral. The playoffs are likely, but a long run isn't. What's more, GM Paul Fenton wasn't overly active this summer - he did little beyond extending Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba - which means the storyline well is dry.

MONTREAL CANADIENS - 🌵

Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty are gone via offseason trades, shipped out of town for Max Domi, Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki, and a second-round pick. Translation: The Habs' offense is desert dry, with its No. 1 goal-scoring option being Brendan Gallagher - a fine player, but not someone capable of leading an attack. Even if Carey Price finds his prime form between the pipes, Montreal is destined for the NHL's basement.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS - 🛀

That gut-wrenching Game 7 loss to the Jets last May - punctuated by Pekka Rinne's nightmarish first-period showing of two goals against on seven shots - probably still stings. But the Preds need to wash off the past; they have the horses to challenge Winnipeg for the division title and that effort must start in camp.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS - 🎣

Despite making the playoffs and employing the league MVP, the Devils enter camp with an inferior roster. Coach John Hynes will be fishing internally for youngsters to replace Patrick Maroon, Brian Gibbons, Michael Grabner, and John Moore. Perhaps Joey Anderson seizes the opportunity? A healthy Marcus Johansson should soften the blow.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS - 🥀

Morale can't get much lower heading into Islanders camp. Sure, they struck gold at the draft, scooping up Noah Dobson and Oliver Wahlstrom, but losing John Tavares is nothing short of devastating. Excluding the fantastic Mat Barzal, this club is devoid of star power. Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have their work cut out for them.

NEW YORK RANGERS - 🍿

The white flag has been waved, and the first wave of core players has been sent packing. Now? Grab your favorite movie theater snack and sit back. The Rangers - the Original Six franchise that never takes a breath - officially begin Stage 2 of The Great Rebuild this fall. Will the transparency continue? Will they keep stripping it down?

OTTAWA SENATORS - 💣

Ticking. Time. Bomb. The dominant storyline this September will be the futures of Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, and Matt Duchene. Ottawa's three best skaters are all on expiring contracts and - no shock to anyone following the Sens saga - are probably on their way out at some point in 2018-19. Also: Is Brady Tkachuk ready for full-time NHL duty?

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS - 😱

Sean Couturier, the league's best young defensive forward, is recovering from a knee injury suffered during a summer charity game. The ailment doesn't seem serious enough to affect the Flyers' regular season, but, when you factor in Wayne Simmonds' health and contract uncertainties, it's not all rainbows and lollipops ahead of James van Riemsdyk's return.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS - 😋

It took the Pens 213 games - 106 in 2015-16 and 107 in 2017-18 - to win back-to-back Cups. Last year, with the rival Capitals eliminating them in Game 6 of the second round, the squad's games-played tally shrunk to 94. Surely rested and motivated by the long layoff, Sidney Crosby and pals should be licking their lips all September. The Metro is up for grabs.

SAN JOSE SHARKS - 👌

Tavares did not take his talents to the Bay Area. It's going to be OK, though, because it's a safe bet GM Doug Wilson has a trick up his sleeve. The Sharks have more than $4 million in cap space and the incentive to supplement an old-ish core sooner than later. Side plot: Is the Joe Thornton farewell tour upon us? Jumbo, 39, can’t play forever.

ST. LOUIS BLUES - 😎

GM Doug Armstrong cooly upgraded the forward group this offseason, picking up a No. 1 center (Ryan O'Reilly), two top-nine wingers (David Perron, Maroon), and a third-line center (Tyler Bozak) through four different transactions. The Blues seem to be everybody's choice for a dark-horse contender, but how will all of the above fit into the group?

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING - 👀

Take a moment and think about how deadly the already lethal Lightning could be if Karlsson joins Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Money is tight, however, so can master negotiator Steve Yzerman work his magic to win the EK65 sweepstakes? All eyes on Tampa.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS - 🐙

Aside from the odd battle for a fringe roster spot, Leafs camp will revolve around Tavares, his transition, and the new-look forward group. The club has eight killers up front: Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Nazem Kadri, Patrick Marleau, Kasperi Kapanen, and Andreas Johnsson. That's one for each octopus tentacle.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS - 🎢

The NHL's roller-coaster team won't be shutting down that ride anytime soon. Intrigue persists around the sketchy departure of Canucks icon Trevor Linden, the timing of Brock Boeser's next contract, the tangible impact of vets Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel, the arrival of super-prospect Elias Pettersson, Olli Juolevi's 2018-19 home, and the vacant captaincy. Get this fan base a drink.

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS - 🤠

The cowboy emoji was unofficially assigned to "Wild Bill" Karlsson amid the Swede's 43-goal breakout season. Nowadays, it could fit the Golden Knights in general. For starters, there's the contentious Nate Schmidt PED suspension, the bold Pacioretty trade, and the lagging Shea Theodore negotiations. Vegas is ground zero for storylines as camps open.

WINNIPEG JETS - 🍽️

The Jets are hungry. Having endured a slow, sometimes painful rebuild, they're ready for the main course after bowing out in five games to Vegas in the Western Conference final. An imperfect team that's got a tremendous top-six forward group and Connor Hellebuyck to compensate for its deficiencies, Winnipeg is a legitimate Stanley Cup threat.

John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Wayne Gretzky is confident that his Edmonton Oilers will bounce back from a dreadful campaign.

After winning their first playoff round since 2006 the season before, the Oilers managed just 78 points en route to a 23rd-place finish in 2017-18. Gretzky, the vice-chairman of Oilers Entertainment Group, expects things to change this time around.

"Our defense will be better, of that you can be assured," Gretzky said, according to Robert MacLeod of The Globe and Mail. "I expect that Cam (Talbot, last year's No. 1 goaltender) will bounce back from the struggles that he had. I think last year was just an outlier for him.

"Add that to the addition of the Finnish goalie (Mikko Koskinen), I think we have a solid two-goaltender system ready to roll."

While Gretzky is confident in Edmonton's defense, the Oilers will head into the season having made no roster moves to bolster their blue line, with defenseman Andrej Sekera potentially lost for the campaign due to an Achilles injury, and with restricted free-agent defender Darnell Nurse still in need of a contract.

Meanwhile, Edmonton's goaltending will need to play a key role for the team to make the playoffs. Talbot posted a career-low .908 save percentage in 2017-18, and the Oilers since added Koskinen, who posted a .937 clip across 29 KHL starts last season.

The Oilers will look to start delivering on Gretzky's expectations when they kick off their season against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 6 in Sweden.

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If George McPhee paid too high of a price to add Tomas Tatar at last season's trade deadline, credit the Vegas Golden Knights general manager for quickly cleaning up that decision.

Parting with first, second, and third-round draft selections to acquire Tatar, the former Detroit Red Wings winger proved to be a flop with the Golden Knights, managing just six points in the 20-game stretch toward the postseason. His lagging production made him an easy scratch for all but eight games of the Golden Knights' run to the Stanley Cup Final.

While Tatar may have bounced back over a full season in Vegas - he's under contract for the next three years - he'll now have that opportunity in Montreal after an early Monday deal sent the Slovak forward, prospect Nick Suzuki, and a second rounder to the Canadiens for Max Pacioretty.

It was a short stint for Tatar in Sin City, and a possible shot at a redemption wasn't enough to hold up a deal for a perennial 30-goal scorer in Pacioretty.

"The (Tatar) deal we did last March was market driven. That was the price," McPhee told reporters Monday. "We did it to help our hockey club. We can't allow what we did months ago to affect a good decision today."

In acquiring Pacioretty, the Golden Knights add to an offensive collection that had no trouble finding the back of the net last year - Vegas' 272 goals were the third-most last season. The team will have a new look this season after James Neal and David Perron signed elsewhere, but summer additions like Pacioretty and Paul Stastny will help fill the void.

For Tatar, he'll have a shot to skate in the Canadiens' top six and rediscover the scoring touch he had in Detroit before his trade to Vegas. Prior to the 2017-18 campaign, Tatar averaged 25 goals and 49 points across three seasons with the Red Wings.

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In the wee hours of Monday morning, the much-publicized uncertainty surrounding Max Pacioretty's future in Montreal came to an end, as the Canadiens dealt their captain to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forward Tomas Tatar, prospect Nick Suzuki, and a 2019 second-round draft selection.

In addition, Pacioretty inked a four-year, $28M extension to complete the deal, while Montreal retains 10 percent of his 2018-19 salary ($4.5M), and Vegas holds on to $500,000 of Tatar's ($4.91M) until 2021.

Now that the dust has settled on arguably the biggest trade of the offseason, let's asses each team's haul.

Golden Knights

Vegas appears adamant on remaining a threat in the Western Conference, and adding Pacioretty to its top six should help their quest to prove last season's impossible run to the Stanley Cup Final wasn't a fluke.

It would be ludicrous to split up the top line of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith after their showing last year, meaning Pacioretty can slot in on the second line alongside fellow newcomer Paul Stastny - an elite playmaker far superior to any pivot Montreal was able to run out over the course of Pacioretty's tenure there.

Given Stastny's passing prowess, there's a logical connection between him and Pacioretty - one of the best shooters in the NHL. Since 2011-12, only eight players league-wide have outproduced his 206 goals, and his struggles last season are more than likely an anomaly, as injuries limited him to 64 appearances and he shot just eight percent compared to his career average of 11. Given a fresh start and easier competition down the lineup, it's easy to picture Pacioretty returning to the 30-goal mark he's eclipsed five times in his career.

Even after giving up three assets for one player, Vegas escapes the deal in pretty good shape. The acquisition of Tatar at last season's trade deadline was a mistake from the get-go, as general manager George McPhee parted with first, second and third round picks for six points in 20 regular season games, and a seat in the press box for most of the Golden Knights march to the finals.

Most GMs would have such a regrettable deal pinned on them for years, but even after tying on another draft pick to move Tatar out of town after just six months, McPhee still owns five picks in the first three rounds in each of the next two drafts, and a much better player to supplement his attack.

Suzuki's departure takes away one of Vegas' top prospects, but that's the cost of business, and McPhee could afford it with blue chippers Cody Glass, Lucas Elvenes, Nikita Gusev, Erik Brannstrom, and Nicolas Hague still in the farm system.

Grade: A

Canadiens

After holding on to Pacioretty through the trade deadline and draft - though a deal did come close - Marc Bergevin lost major leverage, and made matters worse when he went public in saying he wants to trade his captain ASAP and wouldn't negotiate an extension.

Montreal's return can't be properly determined until we get a clearer picture on what Suzuki can become at the NHL level. He's the primary piece of the Habs' return, and has scored 196 points in his last 129 games with the OHL's Owen Sound Attack. Suzuki immediately becomes one of the Canadiens' top prospects along with 2018 No. 3 pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but is likely a year or two away from making any significant impact on an NHL roster.

In Tatar, the Habs fill out their lineup with a player touted for his offensive ability, but who has issues with consistency. The 27-year-old racked up 34 points last season - the lowest mark of his career since becoming a regular NHLer. Montreal ranked 29th in goals last season and the addition of Tatar alone isn't going to do much to change that.

With training camp set to begin later this week, Bergevin was running out of time to orchestrate a deal for another piece of the Canadiens core. Since the 2015-16, he's cut ties with P.K. Subban, Alex Galchenyuk, Mikhail Sergachev and now Pacioretty via trade. The return on this most recent deal didn't induce the same level of immediate angst as his previous ones, mainly because he recouped multiple assets instead of another one-for-one exchange.

Still, a small-impact roster replacement, a promising prospect and an additional second-round lottery ticket isn't as much as it could have been for one of this era's most consistent scorers and captain of the NHL's oldest franchise, had Montreal played its hand more efficiently.

Grade: B-

(Photos Courtesy: Getty Images)

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A common occurrence in hockey circles is for unsigned players to avoid the ice - and potential injury - while awaiting a new contract.

But that's not the case with Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Reinhart. The 22-year-old remains a restricted free agent, but has been skating alongside teammates in the lead up to training camp on Thursday.

That willingness to participate has general manager Jason Botterill feeling optimistic that a deal can soon be reached with Reinhart.

"I'm excited that Sam's in town here working out with our guys, being a part of things," Botterill told Bill Hoppe of Buffalo Hockey Beat. "We continue our dialogue with his agent and (we are) still very hopeful to get a deal done."

Reinhart is coming off of his three-year entry level deal and is likely due for a sizable raise after finishing last season with career highs in both goals (25) and points (50).

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