With the Tampa Bay Lightning officially out of the 2024 NHL Playoffs, the focus will shift to the status of captain Steven Stamkos. A pending UFA who hasn’t convinced the franchise to treat him like a priority and offer him an extension, Stamkos stayed on the bench after the Game 5 loss to Florida, taking in the sights and sounds. It was almost as if it was the last time he would do so in a Lightning uniform.
Many are wondering what the plan is between the two sides. Stamkos might be wondering that too. He was quite public with his frustrations when the team hadn’t come to him and wanting to talk about an extension. He felt underappreciated despite their willingness to do so with nearly every other franchise name on the roster. The organization and GM Julien BriseBois tried to explain they wanted him to finish his career in Tampa but needed to know the status of the salary cap and their contract situation first. It’s not clear if that eased tensions between the two.
As it stands now, the team now knows. Will there still be a delay?
The idea that Tampa would not re-sign him seems wild, especially given that he doesn’t want to leave. But, the two sides have been through this song and dance before. It worked out then. That doesn’t mean it will work out now.
Insider Believes Tampa Will Gamble On a Lower-End Contract
Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek spoke about the Stamkos situation on the Jeff Marek Show on Monday. Marek asked if Friedman had a sense of the way the wind was blowing and Friedman said head coach Jon Cooper made it sound like it didn’t have to be a long conversation. The idea seems to be that both sides want to get this done and “the Lightning themselves know how important it is to make a deal.”
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Stamkos was among the more productive players for the Lightning, despite their loss to New York. They know they aren’t as good a team, but they also know that Stamkos doesn’t want to leave.
Friedman says it’s all going to come down to them making him an offer that makes him say, “That’s good enough, I’ll take it.” He thinks the club will make him an offer below market value, knowing that he’s aware he could make more but doesn’t want to leave.
The question becomes, how low an offer are they going to make? Is it one so low he feels insulted by it? Knowing he’s still got a lot to offer and teams will come calling, going too low could create a situation where Stamkos is tired of feeling shunned by a team he truly loves.
