Making Steven Stamkos a career Bolt is Lightning’s top offseason priority
TAMPA — It didn’t take long after the Lightning’s season ended Monday night for general manager Julien BriseBois to begin engaging captain Steven Stamkos in preliminary contract extension talks.
As soon as the team plane landed back in Tampa following the Game 5 loss to the Panthers, BriseBois approached Stamkos to express his interest in keeping him in a Lightning uniform. A conversation with Stamkos’ agent followed Tuesday to feel out when formal negotiations could begin.
“Obviously, it’s our priority to see if we can get this done,” BriseBois said Wednesday during the team’s postseason media availability. “I’m very hopeful.”
After 16 seasons as the face of the franchise and two Stanley Cup titles during a future Hall of Fame career, Stamkos is a pending unrestricted free agent. He, BriseBois, his teammates and his coach want him to stay in Tampa Bay. Stamkos believes he can still win here, and the Lightning believe he’s a big part of extending their decade-long dominance as one of the league’s top teams.
Now comes the hard part: making it work under the salary cap.
Stamkos boosted his stock tremendously this season. At age 34, he recorded his seventh 40-goal season and was the Lightning’s best player in their first-round loss to the Panthers. When Tampa Bay was on the verge of missing the postseason in early January, Stamkos helped right the ship and led a second-half surge.
“Last summer, for various reasons, a lot of leadership left our team, and nobody in our group raised their leadership game more than Steven Stamkos did to fill that void,” BriseBois said. “... We strive for excellence with humility. Steven Stamkos has always represented excellence with humility, and never more so than these past few months. And the aim is for him to continue to play on a contending Tampa Bay Lightning team going forward.”
Before the season began, Stamkos expressed his frustration that there had not been extension talks last summer. He wanted to go into the season with a deal in place. BriseBois tabled talks until after the season, saying he needed to find out more about his team before committing to Stamkos.
Stamkos handled it all professionally and showed BriseBois his value on and off the ice.
“When you don’t have control of the situation, you just have to come to terms with that,” Stamkos said Wednesday. “I just tried to leave that at home, and when I came to the rink it never crossed my mind. It was just go out there and play and try to help our team just like I’ve always done.”
Now, both parties sit in similar spots, though after the season he had Stamkos holds the chips — just as he did in the summer of 2016, when he briefly tested the market before signing back with the Lightning.
But things are different now, and Stamkos’ ties to Tampa Bay are deeper. It would be special to him to be a one-team player, and even though the Lightning were eliminated in the first round for the second straight year, Stamkos believes the team still has a chance to compete for another Stanley Cup.
“I think at the end of the day, winning is still what fuels me,” he said. “Being a big part of that culture fuels me, and obviously certain things have changed now. I have an amazing young family that has put roots down in this city, and I really enjoy living here and playing here. So, you know, from that perspective the decision is more than just me now”
Stamkos’ teammates, many of whom spoke Wednesday as the team conducted exit interviews, said they believe Stamkos will stay — or at haven’t really considered the alternative.
“I mean, I just assume so,” forward Brandon Hagel said. “We’re all looking up to him, and he’s bringing this group together and also showing it on the ice. It’s incredible. And I’ve always said I think he’s going to go down as one of the best captains in the world.”
Said defenseman Victor Hedman, “It’s tough to look at this team without him here.”
The salary cap is expected to increase by just more than $4 million for 2024-25, which gives the Lightning just under $11 million of space with only 18 players under contract for next season, according to CapFriendly. That leaves roster slots still to fill, in addition to Stamkos. Asked whether he will have to move an existing contract to make room for Stamkos, BriseBois said, “Nothing’s off the table.”
BriseBois said he also is beginning extension talks this summer with Hedman, who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after next season. BriseBois had a preliminary discussion with Hedman’s agent on Tuesday.
“We’d love to keep Victor going forward,” BriseBois said. “He’s the elite defenseman. He’s one of those special all-time players, all-time great Tampa Bay Lightning Bolt who’s still super productive, and I have no reason to believe that’s not going to be the case going forward.
“We have a better understanding of where the cap is at least now and next year. There is a new CBA that’s going to come in at some point. There are rumors of expansion drafts. We’re trying to factor all that in, but the plan would be to keep Victor going forward.”
Both Stamkos and Hedman have shown they have plenty of hockey left in them as they approach their mid-30s. Whether the team can keep both in Lightning uniforms through the remainder of their careers is the biggest question heading into the offseason.
“This is all we know,” Hedman said. “I’ve been here for almost half my life, and I couldn’t picture anything else. But it’s a process, it’s a business, and just moving forward here, my thought process is on next season. Hopefully, I won’t be in the same position as Steven, but you never know. So, hopefully we can get something done in the summer and, yeah, my plan is to retire as a Bolt, and hopefully that comes true.”
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