The Tampa Bay Lightning have been consistently seen as one of the strongest teams in the NHL from season to season. They have won several Stanley Cups with their current aging core, and seem to be on pace to have another strong push this season. One story surrounding the Lightning this season which could be a distraction, is the contract negotiation situation surrounding Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos. He is a pending unrestricted free agent who could be the most sought-after free agent should he become available. According to Greg Wyshynski and Jeff Marek, the Nashville Predators have been listed as a potential fit for Stamkos and could target him if he does hit the open market on July 1st.
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The Predators have had an interesting 2023-24 campaign this season, having gone through a management change with former head coach Barry Trotz as their new general manager, and now find themselves competing to stay in a playoff spot near the end of the regular season and could be a team to watch out for. They went out and signed veterans Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Schenn in free agency which seemed questionable when they first got announced, but they have panned out well and have helped the Preds move into a playoff spot with just 15 games remaining this season.
At the time of this article, the Predators have the first wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference with 80 points and are lined up to face the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. While they had low expectations coming into the season, they have silenced the doubters and find themselves in a comfortable spot heading down the final stretch. They will surely be focused on trying to win a Stanley Cup this season. However, they will also be focused on their future as they try to prove this season wasn’t a fluke, so pursuing Stamkos would give them a skill boost, but would also prove to their players that they’re willing to go spend money to go all-in.
Now, we can look at this scenario from a couple of standpoints. The first one is that it seems like there hasn’t been any progress toward a new contract for Stamkos, which could be making him consider looking elsewhere if the Lightning aren’t willing to pay him for his loyalty to the club and his impact on the team as a whole, which then makes the Predators seem like a fair destination for Stamkos to consider. The other standpoint would be that this is simply someone with inside information giving a prediction and while Stamkos will not be leaving the Lightning, the Predators would be a runner-up for his services.
Stamkos’ Fit With Predators
Stamkos could fit right in with the Predators veteran presence they have on their team, and while Anthony Beauvillier is a solid player and provides value to their second line, Stamkos would be a massive upgrade they could use and have more success with. Their biggest issue is their depth at forward and it should become clearer in the postseason that they don’t have the firepower up front to make a deep run. However, with their younger players growing and turning into solid assets, as well as their veteran players providing enough to keep the team competitive, adding Stamkos could be a piece that turns them into a consistent contender.
If the Predators play it right and are somehow able to pull off a Stamkos signing, they could have a top-six forward group consisting of Filip Forsberg, O’Reilly, Gustav Nyquist, Colton Sissons, Luke Evangelista, and Stamkos. While by no means is that the most dangerous group in the NHL, they are lethal defensively and provide just enough offensive production to be considered one of the most elite two-way top-six cores in the entire league. Stamkos’ fit to me, makes perfect sense. However, I just don’t see a world where he leaves the Lightning.
Stamkos’ Loyalty Plays Big Role
Stamkos had the chance to leave the Lightning prior to the 2016-17 season before he signed a massive eight-year extension, proving his loyalty to the Lightning. At 34 years old, Stamkos has spent his entire 16-season NHL career with the Bolts, having scored 539 goals and adding 572 assists for 1111 points through 1065 games, which comes out to a 1.04 points-per-game average. He has been the team captain since the 2013-14 season and has consistently put up 80-point seasons proving his worth as an elite two-way forward since he was drafted.
He was drafted first overall by the Lightning in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft after a strong showing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Sarnia Sting where he scored 58 goals and added 47 assists for 105 points through 61 games. Since then, he has been a staple with the Lightning having won two Stanley Cups, becoming their franchise leader in points, games played, goals, shots, and power-play goals, and is second in assists to only Martin St. Louis.
Stamkos leaving the lightning really doesn’t make sense. He has dedicated his entire career there and has become the face of the franchise, all while being the team’s leader for a decade now. While Marek and Wyshynski mentioned that the Lightning may not have the money to sign Stamkos to a contract he deserves to have, the loyalty he showed before his last extension should be more than enough for the Lightning to be willing to move out money and make an extension work.
Both teams are trying to remain competitive, so this could become a bidding war if Stamkos can’t get an extension done by July 1st and hits the open market. I would assume the Lightning get something done with their superstar forward before free agency opens but with every day that passes, there is some added worry for Lightning fans.