The Tampa Bay Lightning are out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tampa Bay fell to the Florida Panthers on Monday night in Game 5 to put the nail in their coffin. Now, attention turns to the offseason and the future of franchise icon Steven Stamkos. After the game, head coach Jon Cooper made his thoughts on the matter quite clear.
“I don't know if there's going to be much conversation. I hope not, anyway” the Lightning head coach said when asked about Stamkos' future, via B/R Open Ice. “He belongs here. He knows it, we know it. This is two seconds after a game, but he and I have grown up together. He's a heck of a player. I don't know what's going to happen, but he feels like a Bolt for life.”
Steven Stamkos is headed for free agency this summer. He and the Lightning have had discussions on a new contract over the last few months. However, no extension has been signed to this point. Furthermore, an extension between the two sides does not appear to be close at this time.
Steven Stamkos — Tampa legend
If Steven Stamkos has played his final game in Tampa Bay, he certainly left quite the legacy. “Stammer” entered the league as the first overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. He immediately made the Lightning, turning in a respectable 46-point rookie season. In 2009-10, though, he broke out in a massive way.
Stamkos scored 51 goals and 91 points that year. Tampa Bay missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs that year, but he emerged as a legitimate star. His 51 goals were enough to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the league's top goalscorer. He would win the award again in 2012 when he scored 60 goals.
Stamkos first helped the Lightning go on a deep playoff run in 2015. Tampa Bay made the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, facing the Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately, it would not go the Lightning's way. Stamkos and his team fell to Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks in six games.
He would eventually claim hockey's biggest prize with the Lightning, though. Steven Stamkos captained Tampa Bay to two Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. He helped them to a third-straight Stanley Cup Final in 2022, as well. However, they fell to the Colorado Avalanche that year.
Should Stamkos leave this summer, he would leave as one of the most productive players in franchise history. In fact, he is the team's current all-time leader in points with 1137. “Stammer” is the only player in team history to record 1000+ career points in the regular season. He ranks third all-time among Lightning skaters with 101 playoff points, as well.
Lightning fall in Stanley Cup Playoffs again
Steven Stamkos certainly hoped to win a Stanley Cup, especially if this is his last year with the Lightning. However, it just wasn't meant to be. Tampa Bay has been eliminated in the first round for the second consecutive season. They fell last year to the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games.
Stamkos mentioned after Game 5 on Monday that his future was not on his mind during this series. It was about the Panthers and the fight in front of him. “I'm out there battling to try and help our team win. At the end of the game, we're trying to score. There's some pride on the line for our group,” he said, via Bally Sports.
The Lightning star also provided his thoughts on what led to his team's early exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. “We played hard. We showed in this series that this was a tight series. But we just didn't have that extra whatever you want to call it come playoff time to get some of those wins in the close games.”
The future of Steven Stamkos is up in the air as of now. He could return to the Lightning and retire with the only franchise he has played with. Or he could join a new team for a new challenge in the twilight of his career. Hockey fans should certainly keep and eye on this situation as it develops during the summer.
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