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Lightning’s Steven Stamkos trade speculation gets blunt final word from GM

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Colin Gallant | Last updated 1/16/24

Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos will not be getting traded ahead of the Mar. 8 deadline, general manager Julien BriseBois confirmed adamantly on Tuesday.

“GM Julien BriseBois wanted to make it clear: Steven Stamkos will NOT be traded at deadline. Under any circumstance,” reported The Athletic’s Joe Smith. “BriseBois said he still envisions Stamkos on team beyond this season but those talks won’t continue until offseason.”

That’s not at all surprising, although it’s no secret that contract talks between Stamkos’ camp and the Bolts haven’t exactly progressed well.

Stamkos previously stated that he was disappointed with the way things were going, especially the team’s refusal to discuss a new contract with the captain during the season.

Stamkos wants to be a member of Lightning for life

The 33-year-old has played every one of his 1,044 career regular-season games in a Tampa Bay Lightning jersey after being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2008 NHL Draft.

After a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015 — an eventual six-game loss to the Chicago Blackhawks — Stamkos and his Lightning finally broke through in the 2020s, winning back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022. They were oh-so-close to making it a three-peat, losing to the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.

But after being bounced in the first-round by the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, there seemed to be dissension between player and club.

“In my eyes, this is the only jersey I ever want to wear in my career,” Stamkos said at the team’s end of season media availability back in May of 2023.

“In today’s game, to be able to be with one organization and to do some pretty special things I was able to accomplish this year with some of those milestones, that means a lot to me to have done that with one team. Winning the championships are obviously the highlights, hopefully there’s more to come.”

It’s clear that Steven Stamkos wants to retire with the Lightning, the team he has given everything to.

But there’s not a ton of cap space to go around in Tampa, and although it’s now obvious the front office won’t trade him, it wouldn’t be entirely shocking if the superstar were playing in a different city next season.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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