Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos has been the talk of the NHL with his pending unrestricted free agency. Bob McKenzie of TSN.ca wrote this week that all signs point to the 25-year-old leaving the team that drafted him first overall in 2008.
“Steven Stamkos won’t be playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning next season.
I can’t say that unequivocally, with 100 per cent, dead-set certainty, because, you know, never say never, there’s always a chance, blah blah blah…
But c’mon, if Stamkos and the Bolts were going to live happily ever after they’d be at least a little cozied up by now, sort of like where it currently stands with Anze Kopitar and the Los Angeles Kings.”
With the rampant speculation, when asked if he was “as good as gone,” Stamkos emphatically denied reports.
“Absolutely not,” Stamkos told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. “Not even close. That’s why people say, ‘I’ve got a feeling. I think, speculate, there’s so much information out there that’s probably false. Like the ones about my parents moving to Tampa (which Stamkos said is not true). That just comes with the territory.”
He told Smith that he envisions himself winning a Stanley Cup with the squad.
“Like I’ve always said, I envision myself winning a championship here and want to do that,” Stamkos told the Times. “Obviously we got close last year, and I’m the captain of this team and I want to be that leader.”
Stamkos told the Times he couldn’t answer the question if he would waive his no-trade clause during the trade deadline because the date was too far away.
It’s not an outright denial he’s leaving Tampa Bay, but Stamkos at least made it clear he envisions a future with the club. I don’t see why that feeling wouldn’t be reciprocated given his talent, as the Markham, Ontario, native has scored 288 goals in only 525 career games, including 12 this season. So unless the Lightning or Stamkos really don’t want this done, it’s kind of strange to see reports suggesting a split up is happening – not that it isn’t possible.
