Steven Stamkos is the longest-tenured player on the Tampa Bay Lightning and is arguably the greatest player in the franchise's history. He enters the 2023-24 season in the final year of his current contract.

With the regular season less than three weeks ago, Stamkos is set to play out the final year of his contract before becoming a free agent next summer. The Lightning captain doesn’t sound too pleased with that.

“To be honest I've been disappointed in the lack of talk in that regard,” Stamkos said, via Lightning Insider. “So it was something that I expressed at the end of last year that I wanted to get something done before training camp. I'm ready whenever so I guess that was something that I didn't see coming but it is what it is.”

Stamkos certainly hasn’t lost his ability to produce on the ice. The 33-year-old recorded 190 points over the last two seasons, the most points he's had over a two-year stretch in his NHL career. He captained the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021.

It's an odd question to ask, but could this be Steven Stamkos' last season with the Lightning? He's been with the team for the entirety of his NHL career after Tampa Bay selected him with the first pick in the 2008 draft. He's only signed three contracts as a pro, all with the Lightning and all for more years and money than the last.

Regardless if he produces or not this season, the Lightning may want to move in another direction next season. Stamkos has earned the right to be in Tampa for his whole career though. It will be a fascinating development.