Steven Stamkos shares brutal news regarding his future

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Tom Banks
May 1, 2024 (8:21 PM)

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Steven Stamkos has become synonymous with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization, but now, it appears his future is up in the air.

After elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, all eyes in Tampa Bay shift to Steven Stamkos, who many believe may have played his last game as a member of the Lightning. Back in 2008, Stamkos was drafted No. 1 overall by Tampa Bay, and has spent the past 16 years leading this team, playing in 1,082 games and leading them to two Stanley Cups.

Now, his future is up in the air, and after the Panthers took them down in five games, he's addressed that very topic in a recent interview;

"Obviously, certain things have changed now," he explained when discussing a potential new deal. "I have an amazing young family that has put roots down in this city and I really enjoy living here and playing here. From that perspective, the decision is more than just me now."

"There's different factors than there were last time (I was at the end of my contract), but nothing's really changed in terms of my mindset and where I wanted to be and play and that was here. That certainly hasn't changed."

It's no secret that Stamkos was upset with the lack of extension talks from Tampa Bay, but with long term deals for Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevsky, they may simply not be able to afford it. Free agency is coming up in July, and with Stamkos potentially on the move, he'll draw plenty of interest following a 40 goal, 81 point season, and while a reunion isn't out of the realm of possibility, it's not likely at this point.

Source: Hockey Feed

Steven Stamkos gets honest about his future