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Yzerman's patience pays off in Stamkos sweepstakes

during round one of the 2016 NHL Draft at First Niagara Center on June 24, 2016 in Buffalo, New York.
during round one of the 2016 NHL Draft at First Niagara Center on June 24, 2016 in Buffalo, New York.

Until Wednesday afternoon, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman didn’t know if he would be able to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos.

He knew he had a good offer to Stamkos – the team’s captain and leading goal scorer – but ultimately it was up to Stamkos to make a decision on if he wanted to remain in Tampa or go somewhere else.

Then Stamkos’ agent Don Meehan called Yzerman, which led to a contract officially being completed by Wednesday evening. The deal is for a reported eight years at $64 million.

“Until recently I had no idea. We hadn’t closed any doors on anything, but when you get into this period prior to free agency you’re not really sure where things will go,” Yzerman said. “Until I spoke with Don Meehan this afternoon, that’s the only time I really was sure. I hadn’t given up hope but I certainly wasn’t necessarily expecting it to get done so we’re very thrilled things played out the day they did today.”

The decision by Stamkos to return to Tampa ended an almost yearlong process for Yzerman. During that time he and Meehan made an agreement to stay quiet in negotiations. At points this decision backfired. Rumors ran rampant on Stamkos as he remained unsigned – that he only wanted to play center, didn’t get along with coach Jon Cooper or wanted to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. But ultimately Yzerman won over Stamkos by staying confident, calm and giving the forward the best chance to win with the club he assembled.

“I don’t think Stammer or Donny or myself thought it would play out the way it did but as you point out my goal was to get Stammer signed. It’s a process. Sometimes it happens quickly and sometimes it doesn’t,” Yzerman said. “’I want to play in Tampa, I want to win.’ Those are the things he said to me on numerous occasions and ultimately he obviously expressed that today and committed to that.”

Yzerman said the parameters of a deal were discussed before the NHL Draft. Even though Stamkos was free to interview with other teams starting Saturday, Yzerman wasn’t that concerned.

“Going into the draft both parties, we knew what our positions were and we had to focus on the draft. Don Meehan had to focus on the draft,” Yzerman said. “At that point we spoke Friday or Saturday at the draft. We were clear in our position. We went through the draft and here we are today.”

Stamkos’ salary cap hit of $8.5 million (up from the $7.5 million in his prior deal) should enable the Lightning to make the requisite moves to stay competitive.

Franchise defenseman Victor Hedman ($4 million) will be an unrestricted free agent after 2016-17. Forward Nikita Kucherov is coming off an entry-level contract and will likely get a large raise. Forwards Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat (both currently at $3.33 million) will be restricted free agents after next season.

Forward Alex Killorn ($2.55 million salary cap hit) is also a pending RFA. According to General Fanager, the Lightning have $9,312,500 of salary cap space this offseason, along with $40,912,500 dedicated to 21 contracts for 2017-18.

“He’s the captain of our team. He’s our leading goal scorer. He plays in all situations,” Yzerman said. “Stammer’s contract will allow us to keep the necessary pieces and necessary players that will allow us to be competitive, and if we have to make some decisions based on the cap we, will do that and we will look, whether it’s through our own system to replace players or go elsewhere and try to find them. Every team is making the same decisions we are.”

There are still some moves the Lightning need to figure out – namely if they will trade goaltender Ben Bishop. But that type of move was really on hold until Yzerman got clarity on Stamkos. Now he can finally figure out what to do with the rest of his offseason.

Wednesday’s announcement was a big moment for Yzerman after a tumultuous year. Along with the Stamkos situation, young winger Jonathan Drouin demanded a trade at one point and was suspended by the team.

Drouin eventually returned and cemented himself in Tampa’s lineup in the playoffs. Now the Stamkos questions are completely behind the team moving forward.

“Myself, I look back on both situations and how they played out and what should I, could I have done differently, how would I have changed things for the better.” Yzerman said. “For both players ultimately they just want to play hockey. Jonathan Drouin looks at the team around him and you see the way he played in the playoffs and I think he’s excited about being a part of it and for Stammer to be willing to work with us here and sign a contract today, he wants to be here and it’s important for him to be here.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!