The Tampa Bay Lightning are not planning to negotiate a contract extension with Steven Stamkos until the end of the 2023-24 season, general manager Julien BriseBois told The Athletic on Wednesday.

“Ultimately, I made the decision that it's in the best interest of our organization to wait until after the season to see what we have here, see how we perform, see how all these different, new pieces fit,” BriseBois said in an interview with Pierre LeBrun. “Then we'll be in a better position to make the best decision to set ourselves up for continued success.”

Despite the surprising position, the GM made it clear that the captain is still part of the franchise's long-term plans.

“I've stated that I think it would be great for the organization for Steven to finish his career here. He wants that,” BriseBois explained. “But what we want is for Steven to finish off his career in Tampa and for the club to continue to be legitimate Stanley Cup contenders for the remainder of his tenure.”

Stamkos is entering the final season of an eight-year, $68 million pact he signed back in 2016. The Canadian admitted he was disappointed that an extension didn't get done over the summer.

“To be honest I've been disappointed in the lack of talk in that regard,” Stamkos said before the season started. “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.”

Still, there's belief throughout the organization that Tampa Bay can keep their longest-tenured player in Florida for the rest of his career. Stamkos is still an elite NHL player, scoring 34 goals and 84 points in 81 games in 2022-23 as he continues to play at above a point-per-game pace.

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, Steven Stamkos is the franchise's all-time leader in goals with 515 and points with 1,057. He's second in games played (1,004) and assists (542), and has been an absolutely crucial part of the dynasty that brought two straight Stanley Cups to Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021.