Tampa Bay Lightning: The Impact Of Not Signing Steven Stamkos By The Deadline

The Tampa Bay Lightning could face serious implications from not signing Steven Stamkos before the NHL Trade Deadline.

The Tampa Bay Lightning has been on quite a rollercoaster since the end of the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals. Out of the plethora of issues the Tampa Bay Lightning has been forced to deal with, there has been one topic that has continued to remain at the front of everyone’s mind; the contract status of Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos.

Everyone in the Bolts Nation was on the edge of their seats as the NHL Trade Deadline loomed in the near future and there had been not a single whisper about the status of the talks between the Lightning organization and their captain. Then, here came Steve Yzerman.

Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman made an announcement decreeing that Steven Stamkos would not be traded before the NHL Trade Deadline. This announcement not only calmed the nerves of the fans in the Bolts Nation but took a lot of pressure off the shoulders of Steven Stamkos.

At this point in the game, the team was just starting to regain some of the mojo they had been missing since the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, Steven Stamkos would be forced to answer the exact same set of questions in every single city the Lightning would visit. You have imagined something like this would start to weigh on the captain; especially when he is trying to lead his team back to a winning record.

Now, both Steve Yzerman and Steven Stamkos seem confident they will be able to come to terms on an agreement in the off-season. Right now, their focus is in the right place; to ensure the Tampa Bay Lightning find themselves in a comfortable position when the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, there will come a time when this conversation will become relevant again.

Unfortunately, there is one thing that some people in the Bolts Nation have not exactly considered since Yzerman’s announcement. That is, what could potentially happen if Stamkos isn’t signed by the deadline?

At the conclusion of the 2015-16 season, Steven Stamkos will become an Unrestricted Free Agent. Essentially, this means that Steven Stamkos is free to entertain offers from any of the other 29 teams in the National Hockey League and the Tampa Bay Lightning has absolutely no say in the matter. Well…other than to make Stamkos a reasonable offer for his services over the course of the next few years.

Before we delve into the potential pitfalls of not signing Stamkos before the Deadline, here are some things to think on. The Tampa Bay Lightning has eight main roster players who are set to become a Restricted Free Agent at the conclusion of the season. These are players like Alex Killorn, J.T. Brown, and Nikita Kucherov (just to name a few) who will most certainly be looking for salary bumps moving forward.

Right now, the Tampa Bay Lightning doesn’t have a whole lot of cap room. If the Tampa Bay Lightning has any intention of making an offer to Steven Stamkos that will entice him to remain here in the Bolts Nation, the Lightning is going to have to sacrifice at least one or two of those players looking for a bump. At the same time, is resigning one player worth breaking up a system of players that has proven to be functional?

This brings us to the obvious pitfalls of not signing Steven Stamkos by the Trade Deadline. If for some reason, the Tampa Bay Lightning is not able to make an offer beneficial to both the Stamkos and the Lightning, he is completely free to walk away and find a home in a new city and there is absolutely nothing the Lightning can do about it. This would be one of the biggest atrocities the Tampa Bay Lightning has seen since the “Cowboy” era.

Now, Steven Stamkos has said repeatedly that he wants to remain in Tampa Bay and desires to win a championship with this team. At the end of the day, we may very well be worried over nothing at all. Unfortunately, knowing that option is even on the table has us worried about the end of the regular season.

Ultimately, we still have faith in Steve Yzerman and his ability to get the job done. While we have questioned some of his moves in the past, each of them has turned out to be for the better of the team. At the same time, we would be lying to you if we said this thought wasn’t crawling around in the back of our minds.

There are just 14 games between now and the end of the regular season. If the Tampa Bay Lightning continue to play the way they did during their record-setting nine-game win streak, the Lightning could very well find themselves enthralled in a deep run in the postseason. It may be another three months until we get a definitive answer to this complex situation.

Next: Steven Stamkos Will Not Be Traded By The NHL Trade Deadline

The only thing fans can do at this point is sit back and Be The Thunder for the Tampa Bay Lightning as they make their way to the postseason and hope for the best in terms of the Stamkos contract situation.

What do you think of the whole Steven Stamkos contract situation? Are you confident that Steve Yzerman and Steven Stamkos can come to an amicable conclusion at the end of the 2015-16 season, or do you think the Tampa Bay Lightning will have some new competition next season? Let us know what you think in the comments below.