The Tampa Bay Lightning made two notable trades on Saturday. First, the Lightning traded Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club in a rather shocking move. In a less shocking development, Tampa then traded forward Tanner Jeannot to the Los Angeles Kings. These trades cleared a little more than $11 million in cap space, sparking speculation about a potential Steven Stamkos contract extension.
However, that does not appear to be the case with NHL Free Agency on the horizon. Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois addressed the media following the conclusion of the 2024 NHL Draft. When asked about Stamkos, the Tampa executive said the situation involving the Bolts legend remains the same.
“The plan is for Steven to test the free agent market,” BriseBois said, via NHL.com. “Our respective positions haven’t changed following today’s trades and I understand that when you get this close to free agency, it can be tempting to see what the market has to offer to you. That was a risk I was taking when I didn’t go to Steven a year early to try to lock him up and get a contract done.”
The unfortunate reality facing Steven Stamkos, Lightning
Stamkos completed the final year of an eight-year contract extension signed back in 2016. As a result, he can test the open market at 12 PM Eastern Time on Monday. As BriesBois mentioned, this was a possibility the team saw coming. And while Stamkos wearing another sweater is hard to imagine, it’s an outcome both sides seem willing to accept at this juncture.
“My responsibility is to see what’s best for the Lightning organization, and Steven has to do what’s best for him, his career and his family. So, unless something changes between now and July 1 — and it doesn’t look like it will — we will get to July 1,” the Lightning general manager said Saturday, via NHL.com.
Stamkos is one of the greatest players in Lightning history. The former Sarnia Sting star holds franchise records for goals (555) and points (1137). In fact, “Stammer” is the only player in franchise history to score more than 1000 points with the team. He has helped Tampa Bay make four Stanley Cup Final appearances. And he won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
It’d certainly disappoint Lightning fans if Stamkos wound up ending his career outside of Tampa Bay. However, both sides are unlikely to budge on their stance regarding a new contract. It’ll certainly be interesting to see if that changes between now and NHL Free Agency on Monday.
