Yzerman looking to make a move, but market is 'very, very quiet'

After a summer where everything went right, the regular season has been quite the opposite for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

General manager Steve Yzerman out-waited all the pressure, and re-signed captain Steven Stamkos, before providing No. 1 defenseman Victor Hedman a long-term and team-friendly contract extension.

Yzerman kept the team intact, and a lineup that looked poised to contend for the Stanley Cup again. Now, however, the Lightning are outside the playoff bubble, and Yzerman is looking to make a move.

"If there was something I could have done to this point that would make our team better, I would have done it," Yzerman told Joe Smith of The Tampa Bay Times. "We'll keep trying."

Salary-cap restrictions, an air-tight playoff race, and the upcoming expansion draft are all factoring in an underwhelming trade market ahead of the Feb. 28 deadline, Yzerman believes.

"It's been very, very, quiet," he said.

Exactly halfway through their season, the Lightning sit two points back of a playoff spot in the Atlantic, and five back of a wild-card position.