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Elliotte Friedman weighs in on Steven Stamkos' contract standoff with Lightning front office
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos sent shockwaves through the NHL when training camp opened on Wednesday.
Stamkos is entering the final year of his deal, but many just assumed he would eventually get a new deal and spend his entire career with the Lightning.
However, Stamkos spoke to the media and revealed he was disappointed to not have any talks over a new deal, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti:
"To be honest, I’ve been disappointed in the lack of talk in that regard. It was something that I expressed at the end of last year that I wanted to get something done before training camp started. There haven’t been any conversations.”
The quotes caught many people by surprise and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman gave some clarity on what Steven Stamkos is looking for, on his podcast, 32Thoughts:
“I’ve heard Stamkos wants to play 20 years, that would be five more years. He really wants those 20 years to be in Tampa”
If Stamkos does want to play 20 years, as Friedman says he would need to play four more seasons after this one. This means that Tampa Bay would need to keep him under contract until he's 38.
Tampa Bay GM Julien Brisebois opens up on Steven Stamkos' contract
After Steven Stamkos made the comments that he was disappointed to not get a new deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, their general manager Julien BriseBois offered his thoughts on it.
BriseBois spoke to the media and said he just wants to let the season play out.
"I need to see how this season plays out. I need to see how the pieces of the puzzle fit this year. I need to see who steps up and is able to handle a bigger role. I need to see how the team performs. After the season, I will have gathered that information and then I'll be in a better position to have a clearer picture of what our puzzle looks like going forward."
He added:
"What roster needs we might have and then how to allocate our cap space in order to build the best roster possible for not only for Steven to remain with the Lightning, but for us to stay Stanley Cup contenders year in and year out for the remainder of his tenure with us and hopefully bring the cup back to Tampa."
As of right now, Stamkos is entering this 16th NHL season and has been the face of the Lightning franchise for years.
The hope for many Bolts fans is that Stamkos does play his entire career with the team, but whether or not that will happen is to be seen.
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