Imminent Steven Stamkos trade in Tampa?!

There is great feeling of uncertainty for captain Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay ever since he expressed his disappointment in the Lightning not negotiating a contract extension with him this summer. The Bolts do not appear any closer to reaching a deal with the veteran forward and it was even mentioned that the team wouldn’t be devastated to lose its captain, which added a bad taste of disrespect in Tampa, as Stammer could be a free agent comes July 2024.

There is no way GM Julien BriseBois will want to give up Stamkos for free which prompted Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman to reveal how we could be inching closer to a trade in Tampa. The insider and host Jeff Marek held this discussion during the 32 Thoughts podcast:

EF: “What happens if Tampa is a bubble team and Stamkos isn’t signed at the end of the season?”

JM: “Well, that’s what Julien BriseBois talked about at the beginning of the season, we need to see what the season is going to be like here”

EF: “Teams are going to call”

Stamkos is currently in the final season of his eight-year contract, which carries an annual cap hit of $8.5 million as well as a full no-movement clause.

Rumours have linked the Bolts’ captain to different clubs that could come calling, including the Boston Bruins. Let’s not also forget how the Toronto Maple Leafs were heavily involved in trying to acquire Stamkos once he became a free agent in the summer of 2016. They made a serious push for him during his UFA negotiation window, however, almost at the last moment, Stamkos decided to re-sign with Tampa.

In the past months, GM BriseBois has mentioned that he isn’t planning on holding negotiations throughout the season, which only adds to the speculation that Stamkos could be on the move.

This will be something to keep an eye on as we get closer to the trade deadline, especially if now more and more clubs are getting in the loop that the Lightning could look for suitors for the star forward.

In 24 games this season, Stamkos has put up 10 goals and 25 points and would be a great boost up front to any contender out there.

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