"I'd be lying if I were to say there wasn't a distraction," coach Jon Cooper said. "It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that there was distraction, animosity, what have you, over what happened in early January."

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"We spent hours upon hours scouting, watching, discussing every single player, so we didn't snub anyone. Unfortunately, Marty wasn't selected to the original 14 forwards on that team; he, along with a lot of other players, [was] disappointed. Ultimately, was that the main reason Marty wanted to be traded? I don't believe so, but obviously it had an impact."

It happened because St. Louis wanted it to happen, Yzerman said.

"Marty and I had discussed his future with the organization in the past," he said. "Whether I agree or not, it is his decision. It's Marty's career; it's Marty's life. It's personal. I can't be critical.

"Whether I or any of us agree with the request to leave, that's a question you'll have to ask Marty, I'm not going to stand here and judge him. We're grateful for all the efforts he put forward and he always gave 100 percent to the organization; but as to why, that is a question you'll have to ask him."

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"We're different. I know our fans and players will appreciate the style of play that Ryan Callahan brings, the character that he has, the leadership that he brings," Yzerman said. "So I'm excited to see us on the ice. Are we better? I don't know. We're different. We'll see."

Cooper said his team could be better going forward.

"It's a tough loss," Cooper said, "not only for our team but for what [St. Louis] has done for this organization. But, in saying that, I think you could honestly say the team we fielded in St. Louis [on] Tuesday night (a 4-2 loss) is not as good as the team we are going to field against Buffalo [on Thursday]."

Cooper is counting into that equation the return Stamkos, who was targeting Thursday as his long-awaited return after failing to be ready for the Olympics.

"Ryan Callahan is something this team needs," Cooper said. "If there is one area that we needed to get better in, we need a couple guys that play with a little bit of snarl, and Ryan Callahan is going to bring us that.

"So yes, is it crushing to lose a guy like Marty St. Louis? But we lose Marty St. Louis and we gain Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan, so it's kind of a 2-for-1 for us."