Steven Stamkos breaks silence after leaving Lightning as free agent

Monday marked the end of an era for the Tampa Bay Lightning. After 16 seasons, Steven Stamkos left the team and the veteran signed a four-year contract with the Nashville Predators.

Following his decision, Stamkos posted a heartfelt message on social media to the Bolts and their fans.

“Thank you Tampa ❤️❤️I don’t have the words yet… I will soon. It’s too early to address this topic. I just wanted to let everyone know how grateful we are for 16 years as a Bolt. My family and I can’t wait to start the next chapter.”

The Lightning selected Stamkos with the first overall pick in the 2008 draft. He went on to be selected to two All-Star teams and played 1,082 games with the franchise, scoring 555 goals and registering nearly 600 assists.

It was always believed that Stamkos could leave as a free agent after trade rumors swirled at the trade deadline. The Predators emerged as the favorites to take him and were able to land him along with Jonathan Marchessault. That gives Nashville two legitimate offensive weapons.

Steven Stamkos was an icon for the Lightning

Stamkos has been a true pillar of the Bolts franchise over the past 16 years. His production has also remained consistent for over a decade. The 34-year-old just scored 40 goals and provided 41 assists in 2023-24, which is not far off his numbers from his third year in the league. It’s understandable why Stamkos was a valuable asset in free agency.

The Canadian helped the Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cups just a few years ago and will forever be remembered in Tampa Bay history. He leads the franchise in goals, games played and points.

When the Bolts signed Jake Guentzel on June 30, it was clear that Stamkos would test free agency. You can’t really blame him for leaving, though. The Preds are offering him $8 million in annual value, while Tampa was offering about half that. It was a given that he would sign elsewhere, despite his love for the organization that brought him to the league.

For what it’s worth, Stamkos made it clear in September that he wasn’t happy the Lightning didn’t approach him about a new contract last season:

“To be honest, I was disappointed in the lack of discussion about it. It’s something I expressed late last year — that I wanted to do something before training camp started. There were no discussions,” Stamkos said Wednesday. “I’m ready at any time. I guess it’s something I didn’t see coming. But that’s just the way it is.”

The Lightning will be looking to bounce back in 2024-25 after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers after barely making the playoffs. The addition of Guentzel is solid, but let’s not kid ourselves. Stamkos’ departure will be felt.

Guentzel joins a core led by Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, their two best players. Kucherov just scored 144 points, while Point had 90.

Nashville gets a hell of a player in Steven Stamkos and it looks like they’ll continue to be aggressive in free agency.