Trouble in Paradise Between Stamkos and the Lightning?
Darren Dreger was on TSN 1050 Radio on Friday morning discussing the Steven Stamkos comments from Wednesday and stated it is not fair to describe the situation as tense, but Stamkos is not happy that this was not taken care of.
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** NHLRumors.com Transcription
Host: “Dregs is there tension in Tampa? I mean we heard the other day Steven Stamkos express his displeasure about where his contract situation sits with the Tampa Bay Lightning and we saw the GM there BriseBois address it but is there tension there? Something we haven’t really seen from this team in the last five to six years maybe even a decade?
Darren Dreger: “Yeah I mean is it fair to describe it as tense? I don’t know. But I know this.. that Stamkos is a very respectful quality leader. Right. And for him to I think it’s fair to say unleash the way he did to the media earlier this week that tells you he is not happy.
And I’m pretty sure Julien BriseBois, the GM, would have known the unhappiness of Steven Stamkos prior to the captain of the Lightning meeting with the media. Right? Whether that is coming directly from Stamkos or it is coming from Newport Sports, that represents Steven Stamkos. It’s a curious position that the Lightning have taken.
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And we saw BriseBois’s rebuttal. Right. And he gave Stamkos credit saying they are aligning in their want to win. Unfortunately, you have to make tough decisions as a GM in the league where you deal with a hard cap.
And I guess BriseBois lumped Steven Stamkos in with every other playing asset they have in Tampa Bay. I’d be curious though if the owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning knew that was coming. Right because that’s not a great look when you have somebody as decorated as Steven Stamkos is openly talking about how disappointed he is that this matter wasn’t taken care of seriously over the course of the summer.
Wasn’t articulated and obviously wasn’t concluded. This is something we are going to keep an eye on moving forward this year.”
Could Steven Stamkos’s Time In Tampa Bay Be Up?
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: On the latest edition of 32 Thoughts Podcast Friedman addressed the comments made by Steven Stamkos on Day 1 of Lightning training camp.
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“That to me is a big, big shot across the bow,” Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, about Stamkos’ training camp quotes.
“I know people who are around Stamkos, and I’m talking about other players, and a few of them told me there was this underlying belief around them that Tampa wouldn’t be crushed if he left.”
Friedman then asks what do Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Erik Cernak, Victor Hedman, Mikhail Sergachev and Andrei Vasilevskiy all have in common. They were all signed a year before they became UFA. adds, if you’re Stamkos it’s hard not to look at that and wonder why he isn’t being taken care of.
Friedman believes that Stamkos wants to play 20 NHL seasons, so if you are the Lightning you want to make him a Lightning forever. He probably will get his number retired but that does not mean the Lightning will not try to fit him within the cap at a reasonable number.