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Here’s what the Lightning are reportedly offering Stamkos

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Over the weekend the Lightning reportedly offered Steven Stamkos an eight-year, $68 million contract. It benefits Tampa Bay that the number is out there, but should fans be nervous that the number will have to be higher?

Look, we know Steven Stamkos is going to make buckets of money. The key questions are “Where will he sign?” and “For how much?”

The Tampa Bay Lightning still have time to re-sign him before the circus truly comes to town, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman provides some interesting details on what their offer might be.

Friedman reports that the Lightning are offering a deal worth $8.5 million per season, and the Tampa Bay Tribune fills in some details that make it seem like it would be an eight-year, $68M deal overall.

What’s your initial reaction to that?

It says a lot about the money thrown around in modern sports that, personally, the gut reflex was “That’s not enough.”

Perhaps it’s just a matter of perspective; take a glance at the cap hit leaders, via General Fanager:

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane: $10.5 million
Alex Ovechkin: $9.538M
Evgeni Malkin: $9.5M
P.K. Subban: $9M
Sidney Crosby: $8.7M
Corey Perry: $8.625M
Henrik Lundqvist: $8.5M
Claude Giroux: $8.275M
Ryan Getzlaf: $8.25M

(Obviously, Anze Kopitar’s eight-year, $80 million extension likely also makes a significant impact.)

When you look at that list, $8.5 million may still seem insufficient for Stamkos, but it’s probably not an insulting offer. Right?

We’re ultimately still at the same point: speculating about whether the superstar sniper would take a moderate “hometown discount” to stay with Tampa Bay or chase a splashier deal, perhaps closer to his hometown team with a certain obscure squad in Toronto.

Stamkos has said all the right things about staying with the Bolts. We’ve heard advice for Stamkos from guys with similar experiences, such as Zach Parise.

All we really know is that reported offer of $8.5 million per year.

Then again, isn’t that uncertainty is a big part of the fun (unless you’re an anxious Lightning fan)?