Sportsnet: Erik Erlendsson when asked if could see Steven Stamkos not re-signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning and signing with someone else for next season.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Matt Marchese: “Steven Stamkos, he made it very vocal about the lack of contract talks and, and while it’s really hard to imagine him playing anywhere else, do you think there is any chance that he ends up anywhere other than Tampa on his next deal to maybe finish out his career?
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Erlendsson: “Well, until he signs a new contract that chance is certainly always there. And I think that’s what has a lot of fans here a little skittish about because the longer this goes on and Julian Brisebois, the GM comes out that he’s going to wait until the end of the season when he has more information. We assume salary cap, you know, what’s that going to look like and where can Steven fit in?
But it is very hard for me to fathom a guy who has meant as much to this community, to this franchise, the face of the franchise since before he was drafted with that whole ‘Seen Stamkos’ marketing campaign, you know, ahead of the draft in June of 2008. It is hard for me to fathom him wearing another jersey.
It’s very rare in today’s game that one player stays with the same organization for their entire career. Just not a whole lot of Steve Yzerman‘s and Joe Sakic‘s still out there, especially with the salary cap era.
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I would like to think the optimist in me thinks that this will get done at some point and Steven Stamkos will remain here, but until he signs a new contract, that possibility is going to kind of hang over, you know, the team up until the moment he either re-signs or ends up somewhere else.