Steve Stamkos’ status as an unsigned restricted free agent in Tampa Bay is starting to make everyone feel a bit silly these days. With Stamkos still without a new contract and the rest of the summer staring everyone in the face and no real timeline to get a deal done, the idle time in between has led to some creative rumors being spawned saying that Stamkos will somehow be traded so he can be signed elsewhere. Already this summer we’ve heard about Philadelphia’s interest in Stamkos (later debunked by Flyers GM Paul Holmgren) and where there’s an available superstar there’s always the rumors about them going to Toronto as well.
Such is life for Stamkos these days while he and Lightning GM Steve Yzerman try to work out a deal to keep him in Tampa Bay for the foreseeable future. Rumors are what they are but all along we’ve been told that Stamkos will be eventually re-signing with the Lightning and that there’s no way he’s going to be traded.
Thankfully, Yzerman decided to reaffirm those thoughts once again for everyone that’s still having a hard time digesting the reality of the situation. Damian Cristodero of Lightning Strikes gets the scoop from the Lightning GM about just how silly these rumors are.“I talk to general managers on a daily basis and get asked a lot, ‘How are you making out?’ But that’s about all,” Yzerman said.
Has anyone come up with a proposal? “Absolutely not. I’m not interested in discussing a possible trade. I’m committed to re-signing Steven.”
Has anyone said they would be interested if negotiations broke down? “They don’t have to say that,” he said, laughing. “Every team is interested in Steven Stamkos.”
Bottom line? “I’m confident,” Yzerman said, “we will reach an agreement.”
So to break it down: Everyone wants Stamkos, no one is asking about trading for him, the Lightning aren’t listening to any proposals if they even existed, and they’re going to do everything they can to keep him in Tampa Bay as a member of the Lightning. That seems pretty easy to understand then.
For things to get to the point where the Lightning had to entertain offers for Stamkos he would have to be demanding so much money that there was no way the Lightning would be able to compete with such a huge contract on the books. It’s that or Steve Yzerman gets possessed by evil spirits or Stamkos directly insults all the team executives to their faces would make that possibility happen and he strikes us as a rather polite guy.
The sole threat to Tampa Bay’s efforts to re-signing Stamkos still remains an offer sheet from a competing team, but given how reticent opposing GMs are to going that route to grabbing a player and how Tampa Bay has promised to match any and all offers, it seems like a fruitless endeavor. For now, it’s all about patience for everyone involved from Stamkos and his agent on down to the fans.
Patience is a virtue and many aren’t blessed with that, especially during the summer when the free agent market is scarce of top end talent. If teams aren’t going to force the issue, then we’ll be waiting a bit for things to get done. After all, training camp doesn’t start until September and that’s when it’ll be imperative for Stamkos to be around. For now, we wait for the league’s latest huge star to get locked up to a big contract whether we like waiting or not.