For months, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien Brisebois has said that re-signing captain Steven Stamkos is a priority for the team. He even made moves at the NHL draft to free up salary cap space, leading many to believe an extension was on the horizon.
Then came a shocking turn of events. Brisebois told Lightning beat writer Gabby Shirley on June 29 that he didn’t offer Stamkos a revised deal, even after trading Mikhail Sergachev and Tanner Jeannot in separate deals.
With the clock ticking and no agreement in place, it’s looking like the first overall pick in 2008 is about to leave the only organization he’s ever known.
Personally, I believe that the team is making a massive mistake by allowing a guy who has given his all to this franchise walk as a free agent.
Remember 2016? Stamkos took a small pay cut to stay in Tampa Bay for eight more years. Since then, he’s captained two Stanley Cup winning teams and four that made it to the Stanley Cup finals.
His list of accomplishments are long, as he became one of only two players to play 1,000 games with the Lightning. He also reached 1,000 points, all while wearing Bolts blue.
None of that seems to matter though, with Brisebois only offering him an eight year contract worth $3M per year. That is less than what he’s looking for, believed to be in the range of $4-$5M a year, leading to an impasse.
Can the two sides reach a deal in the few hours leading up to the start of free agency? While it looks unlikely, there’s always a possibility. That is the only silver lining in a saga that could put a huge black eye on an organization that has prided itself on being “world-class.”
ITR 44: We Have A Champion…Again – Inside The Rink
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