Tampa Bay Lightning: Steven Stamkos And The Impending Free Agency

Tampa Bay Lightning C Steven Stamkos is heading towards Free Agency this summer. Are the Lightning better off without him?

It has been a highly publicized story for quite some time now. Will Tampa Bay Lighting C Steven Stamkos re-sign with the Lightning or will he take his talents elsewhere?

Will he take the $8.5 million per year contract already offered to him by Lightning GM Steve Yzerman with the possibility of winning a Stanley Cup now or will he hit the Free Agent market looking for a mega contract?

I raise the question, Should the Lightning even try and re-sign Stamkos for anything more than the $8.5 million already offered to him?

My opinion, No.

Now before we go any further I will say this. I absolutely want for Steven Stamkos to remain a part of the Tampa bay Lightning, but at what cost if he is not willing to take what has been offered? Ever since joining the NHL in 2008 Steven Stamkos has been known as one of the, if not, the best pure sniper in the NHL.

He has posted more than 90 points in a season on three separate occasions, He has scored 40 goals or more 4 separate seasons with one 50-goal and one 60-goal season, and he has won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophy twice in his career. There is no question that Stamkos has been elite. It’s also quite possible that those days are behind him.

Since breaking his right tibia in 2013 and Martin St. Louis leaving the Tampa Bay Lightning organization in 2013, Stammer has not been the same player.

Stamkos is no longer the best player on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster. That title goes to either D Victor Hedman or F Nikita Kucherov. For now, I say Hedman. Not to mention G Ben Bishop and his heroics.

Keeping this in mind, how can the Lightning justify paying the third best player on the team over $10 million per year when they have these soon to be superstars due for big contracts?

There are 7 key players on the Lightning roster who are either Restricted Free Agents (RFA) or Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA) within the next two seasons.

Both Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn are set to be a Restricted Free Agent at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. This brings us to an even bigger 2017-18 Free Agency market where players like Tyler Johnson (RFA), Ondrej Palat (RFA), Victor Hedman (UFA), Ben Bishop (UFA), and Jonathan Drouin (RFA) will all be hitting the Free Agency scene.

There are other players due for new contracts as well but the players mentioned are the core of the Lightning roster. If Stamkos re-signs with the Lightning for more than $10 million per year there is absolutely no way that Steve Yzerman will be able to retain the majority of these players.

Nikita Kucherov is proving to be a clutch player, probably unlike anybody Tampa has ever seen don the Bolts Blue by the time his playing days are over. He has 18 goals in 36 career playoff games which ties him for the third-most playoff goals in Tampa Bay Lightning franchise history. Oh, and by the way, he is only 22 years old. Yea, Yzerman is going to have to pay him.

Tyler Johnson is another player who comes through big time in the playoffs. He also has 18 career playoff goals and Johnson always seems to score the big goal for the Bolts. Both Johnson and Kucherov have more career playoff goals than Stamkos and both have played fewer playoff games than Stammer. Ondrej Palat does a bit of everything for the Lightning and is a workhorse on the boards. I believe that Palat is indispensable.

Which brings me to Victor Hedman. I firmly believe that Hedman should be our Captain. The Bolts do not come and go with Steven Stamkos, they come and go with Victor Hedman. He is the heartbeat of the team, he is what makes them tick.

There is not one thing that this man cannot do on the ice. He seems to skate effortlessly, his stick checking is unreal, his offensive ceiling is sky high, and he is defensively sound. I would suggest that out of all of these players Hedman and Kucherov are the “must signs” of the group.

Alex Killorn is a good hockey player. The Lightning has players in the AHL that could fill his shoes. I do believe that Killorn will not be with the Lightning once his contract is up. They can’t sign everybody.

Unfortunately, and I hope that I am very wrong about this, the same goes for Ben Bishop. Due to the salary cap, I see Killorn and Bishop as the cap casualties. It pains me to say this about Bishop. If there is any way to keep him I urge Yzerman to do so. I mean, there has to be a way, right? Vezina candidate two out of three years he has been here. He carried the Bolts on his back this season all the way to the playoffs, hopefully to a championship.

There is nothing to dislike about Big Ben Bishop. In fact, there is everything to love about him. That will be a sad day in Tampa Bay.

The last player on my list is Jonathan Drouin. What a ride it has been with him. I’m not going to get into all of the fun details though I will say this. All has been forgiven from my point of view. Forgiven, not forgotten.

He is on fire!

The skill, the stick handling, the speed. It’s all on full display. He is also brought a bit of a physical element to his game. There was never any doubt about Drouin’s talent, it was his ego that was in question. He has kept quiet, laced up his skates, and has shown the world what he is made of. On the NHL’s biggest stage I might add. I now expect him to re-sign with the Lightning when his contract is up.

Steven Stamkos deserves a big contract as he has earned it. He deserves to test the Free Agent market. He is coming into his prime and this will be his one chance to cash in on a huge contract and I can only imagine how hard it would be to turn down the kind of money that will be thrown at him if he becomes a Free Agent.

With every game the Lightning win it becomes more and more apparent that Stamkos is not worth the type of contract that he may be seeking. It’s a harsh reality.

Next: Ben Bishop Has Stood Strong In Postseason

I would like for Stamkos to remain part of the Tampa Bay Lightning. I would like for one of our big stars to finally retire wearing a Bolts sweater. In this particular situation, I believe that it could be time to part ways with Stamkos if he is not willing to settle for a lesser contract.

The question for Steven Stamkos is:

Legitimate Contender for the Stanley Cup.. or Money?