End of an era as Steven Stamkos leaves Lightning, signs with Predators

TAMPA, Fla. — For the past 16 years, Steven Stamkos has been seen all over Tampa Bay. From the side of Amalie Arena, on billboards and benches, he’s been the face of the Lightning franchise since he was anointed the savior of the organization as an 18-year-old No. 1 draft pick.

He has lifted the Stanley Cup twice, worn the C on his chest with pride and humility, and been the leading figure in the most prolific decade of Lightning hockey. On the ice, he was an elite scorer; in the locker room, he was a consummate leader. He visited hospitals, he presented checks to the Ronald McDonald House, he gave a generation of Lightning fans a superstar they were proud to call their own.

But now Stamkos, the one player who many thought would wear a bolt on his chest for the entirety of his career, will play for the Predators, signing a four-year deal with Nashville for an average annual value of $8 million.

Until the past few days, fans had hope that the Lightning and their longest-tenured player would make amends and reach an agreement to keep their beloved captain in Tampa Bay.

And so did Stamkos.

“It’s been probably as crazy as you can think in terms of just a roller-coaster of emotions,” Stamkos said in an interview with TSN shortly after he signed with Nashville on Monday. “Clearly so much amazing history in Tampa for my family and I. And ultimately, trying to work something out there and fell short.”

Stamkos said he probably believed the window to return was open longer than the Lightning would say, but that when he woke up Monday, he knew he was going elsewhere.

Still, it’s clear that Stamkos felt disrespected by the process, from the point when general manager Julien BriseBois didn’t engage him in extension discussions last summer, like the organization had with so many of their other stars before their final seasons. And when BriseBois said that he wouldn’t offer Stamkos a contract until the 2023-24 season was over.

“At the end of the day, there was no question that I was willing to put all that stuff aside to remain a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning,” Stamkos said in an interview with SportsNet. “My family and I absolutely love playing for that city and playing for the players that are there. It just seemed like maybe not everyone thought that way.

“And listen, I’m a big, big boy. I can handle that. We went about doing our business. I thought I played extremely well this year, regardless of the contract distraction, and just told them at the beginning here that it wasn’t going to affect my play and that’s something that I was proud of.

“Listen, we wanted it to end and retire as a Tampa Bay Lightning (player). It certainly didn’t work out, but at the end of the day, in order to look at yourself in the mirror, you have to just be honest with yourself, know your self-worth, know what loyalty and respect means to you, and then move on.”

BriseBois had tried, and failed, in the past to keep home-grown players like Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat. In Stamkos’ case, BriseBois found the money to make it work, but didn’t budge from his initial offer and ultimately looked elsewhere to improve the team.

BriseBois initiated contract discussions as soon as the Lightning were eliminated by Florida in the first round, but he didn’t budge from his take-it-or-leave-it offer, which was believed to be in the $3 million average annual value range. When extension talks stalled in June, the Lightning pivoted. At last weekend’s draft, BriseBois and Stamkos’ agent, Don Meehan, agreed it would be best for both sides to pursue other dance partners.

And what a pivot it was.

The Lightning traded away highest-paid defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and forward Tanner Jeannot. With the cap space accumulated, BriseBois targeted one of the top pending free agents, trading for forward Jake Guentzel’s rights Sunday and working out a seven-year deal. They also are trying to extend defenseman Victor Hedman as he enters the final year of his contract.

The irony of Stamkos’ landing spot is that in May, the Lightning re-acquired defenseman Ryan McDonagh from Nashville, and McDonagh’s first call was to Stamkos, happy that they were reuniting a lost piece of the team’s Cup championship core. But in the end, the two friends were ships passing in the night. Nashville general manager Barry Trotz essentially used the cap space he received in moving McDonagh to lure Stamkos.

Despite a slow start, Stamkos showed his value this past season, particularly when the Lightning were in danger of missing the playoffs at midseason. Stamkos elevated his game, as the team compiled the NHL’s third-best record over the second half. He scored 16 goals in the final 17 games, including seven on the power play. His 19 power-play goals for the season ranked third in the NHL.

Stamkos was the Lightning’s best skater in the playoffs, compiling five goals and six points in the first-round series against Florida, including a two-goal, one-assist game in a Game 4 win at Amalie Arena that allowed Tampa Bay to avoid being swept.

But BriseBois made it clear that his chief offseason priority was making the Lightning a better defensive team — they ranked 22nd in the league in goals allowed — and Stamkos’ career-worst minus-21 ratio last season left room for improvement.

Stamkos now takes his legacy elsewhere. He is one of only three active players with 500 goals and 1,000 points, joining Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.

Stamkos owns essentially every Lightning individual career record, including goals (555), points (1,137), power-play goals (214) and games played (1,082). His 582 assists trail Marty St. Louis by six.