Red Wings owner allegedly screwed Steve Yzerman who attempted to get Steven Stamkos!

On the opening of free agency, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman was hard at work, trying to get coveted free agent forward and long-time Tampa Bay Lighting superstar Steven Stamkos to sign in Detroit. Yzerman has reportedly offered his former captain a three-year contract with “the same amount of money Nashville” presented him, but was informed by Stamkos’ camp that he was getting four years on a deal with the Predators.

Yzerman immediately got on the phone with Chris Ilitch, president and chief executive officer of Ilitch Holdings who owns the Red Wings, and asked him if they could extend Stamkos’s offer to four years.

Ilitch told his general manager that he’d get back to him with Yzerman telling him it had to be shortly since Stamkos was not going to remain available for long.

On the Woodward Sports Network, it was revealed that Ilitch never got back to his GM and Stamkos ended up signing in Nashville.

If this is true, that is unbelievable and I mean, terribly wrong! Could you imagine the boost Stamkos could have provided up front in Detroit under his former GM?

Stamkos is finding his footing in Nashville after spending his entire career with the Lightning. On Sunday, he scored two power play goals in the second period, leading the Predators to a 5-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

There are no proof at this time that Ilitch did pull this move on his own team and general manager, but you have to know people will dig into it.