Nearly two weeks after Steven Stamkos left the Tampa Bay Lightning in free agency — the team he won two Stanley Cups with and captained for the last decade — the future Hall of Famer penned an emotional letter to the organization in The Players Tribune on Monday.
Stamkos was selected No. 1 overall by the Bolts in the 2008 NHL Draft and named captain in 2014. He led the franchise to two straight championships in 2020 and 2021, and another Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2022. But after being unable to negotiate a new contract with general manager Julien BriseBois — much to the dismay of many in the hockey world — the 34-year-old took his talents to Nashville and joined the Predators on a four-year pact on July 1.
“These past few weeks have been bittersweet,” Stamkos wrote. “I never thought this day would come. I did everything I felt I could do to make it work, but sometimes things just happen. It didn't work. And I'd be lying if I said it wasn't heartbreaking. But my family and I, we're human, you know? Tampa is home. It's where our three kids were born … it's where our memories are. It's always going to mean so much to us.”
Stamkos probably should have been part of the Lightning for life, but instead, BriseBois and the front office prioritized signing Victor Hedman and Jake Guentzel. It was a head-scratching move considering what Stamkos has done for the franchise, but it's encouraging to see the longtime captain remain positive after what must have been an extremely difficult period.
And BriseBois made it clear he understands the frustration, not only from Lightning fans who wanted Stamkos to stay, but hockey fans who felt he was disrespected after all he had done for Tampa Bay.
“I know that it is disappointing that I was unable to come to terms with Steven Stamkos on a contract to keep him within the organization,” said the GM, per Bally Sports' Gabby Shirley. “I know the fans are disappointed, I know Steven is disappointed, and I'm disappointed. Like everyone, I wanted Stammer to stay in Tampa and finish his career with the Lightning but, like for every player, there were also limits. We had limits [in what] we could allocate in terms of cap space to him.”
Steven Stamkos ‘excited' to join Predators
Instead of re-signing Stamkos, BriseBois spent most of the team's cap space on Guentzel, who was given a seven-year deal worth $9 million AAV. Stamkos signed for $8 million annually in Nashville, and although it's a bittersweet departure, he's looking forward to the next chapter.
“At the same time, though, it doesn’t mean we can’t be excited for the future. Because we really are — I’m fired up just thinking about the start of the season in Smashville. Preds fans, we’ll talk soon,” Stamkos wrote at the end of his emotional letter. “And when the time comes to play down in Tampa, it’ll be nice to be home again.”
Home will always be Tampa Bay for Stamkos; it's the city that drafted him, believed in him, and helped him carve out a career that will be immortalized in the Hall of Fame once he retires.
And October 28, 2024 — the day Stamkos' Predators head south to Tampa Bay to play the Lightning — will be appointment viewing for hockey fans.
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