Getty Image / Mark LoMoglio/NHLI
There was a seismic shift in the NHL world on Monday when longtime Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos signed a 4-year contract with the Nashville Predators at $8M/season. Stamkos had been the heart of the Tampa Bay team for years and his time began in Tampa when they drafted him #1 overall in the 2008 NHL Draft.
For a brief moment over the weekend, it seemed like Lightning GM Julien BriseBois was going to figure out a way to sign Stammer to a new deal. Stamkos had made it known he wanted to retire with Tampa Bay where he captained the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins and three consecutive Finals appearances. Instead, the Lightning signed forward Jake Guentzel to a 7-year contract and allowed Steven Stamkos to walk out the door.
In an appearance on Sportsnet, Steven Stamkos spoke for the first time about what happened with Tampa Bay’s front office that led to his departure. As a lifelong Lightning fan who was there at Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final when Stamkos won it all, easily one of the top moments of my entire life, it is heartbreaking to hear Steven Stamkos’ comments here (there’s a transcript of his comments below the video:
Steven Stamkos joins the Hockey Central panel following his new deal with Nashville. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/pQaLoTQCnw
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 1, 2024
Steven Stamkos: “To be completely honest, I found myself asking the same question. And the more people I talk to, you know, everyone seems to share that same sentiment, which is is puzzling and strange.”
“And at the end of the day there was no question that I was willing to put all that stuff aside to remain a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Like I said, my family and I absolutely love playing for that city and playing for the players that are there. It just seemed like maybe not everyone thought that way.”
“And listen, I’m a big big boy. I can handle that. We went about doing our business. I thought I played extremely well this year regardless of the contract distraction. And just told them at the beginning of the year that it wasn’t something that was going to effect my play and that’s something that I was proud of.”
“Listen, we wanted it to end and retire (with) the Tampa Bay Lightning. It certainly didn’t work out, but at the end of the day in order to look yourself in the mirror you have to just be honest with yourself. Know your self worth. Know what loyalty and respect means to you. And move on.”
“And that’s why it’s been so exciting for our family. Once we kind of got over that hump, we kind of zeroed in on a few teams with Nashville being very high in that list and just the mutual interest from day one… How aggressive they were… How accommodating they were in terms of any questions or concerns and it just seemed like a natural fit and we’re so excited.”
It’s been rumored the Lightning offered Steven Stamkos an 8-year, $24 million contract which is well below the 4-year, $32 million he is getting from Nashville. At 34 years old, the Lightning certainly wouldn’t have gotten 8 great years out of their former captain but Nashville just made the best possible signing they could.
Stamkos comes into the Nashville locker room as one of the most successful and experienced players in the league. He has been the captain of the most successful NHL team over the past decade (475 wins to Boston’s 466) and Nashville gets an immediate bump in culture from that.
The Preds needed a piece like this to help them make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s a brilliant signing and one that Lightning fans will be furious about for years but I think I speak for more than myself in saying we will be rooting for Stammer in every single game. If Nashville makes it to the Finals I’ll be cheering for him like the Preds were my own team.