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NHL Trade Rumors: Steven Stamkos' future in Tampa Bay Lightning up in the air
Ahead of the 2023–24 season, captain Steven Stamkos expressed his frustration in September over the lack of contact made by the Tampa Bay Lightning regarding a contract extension.
Stamkos has played for one franchise in his career, and the notion is clear from him: he wants to end his career with the same franchise.
However, Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman, in the recent segment of the "32 Thoughts" pod, discussed Steven Stamkos' contract situation with the Lightning and pointed out that his future is up in the air with no clear picture at the moment.
Freidman also noted that if Stamkos ended up being not signed with the Bolts at the end of the season, there would not be a shortage of teams vying for the veteran's services:
Earlier, GM Julien BriseBois had said the organization would wait until after the season to begin negotiations with the 33-year-old so that he's more familiar with their cap situation and where Steven Stamkos fits in the structure with other players.
The Canadian forward is in the final year of his eight-year, $68 million contract signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016. He could become a UFA after the end of the 2023-24 season.
Steven Stamkos' career stats
Stamkos was drafted with the first overall selection by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2008 draft. He made his NHL debut in Prague, Czech Republic, where the Bolts lost 2-1 to the New York Rangers.
Since making his debut for the Bolts, Steven Stamkos has continued to work on his game and eventually turned into one of the best forwards in the league. He won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy twice for scoring 51 and 60 goals in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
The seven-time NHL All-Star also guided the Tampa Bay Lightning to win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021 under his leadership.
Overall, the 33-year-old has notched up 1,080 points through 525 goals and 555 assists in 1,026 games over his 16-year-long career.
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