Report: Lightning consulted trade market for Steven Stamkos
Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman told reporters in June that his biggest prirority over the summer was signing Steven Stamkos to a contract extension. But now that the calendar turned to September and Stamkos still does not have a new deal, many are wondering if all is okay on the Stamkos front.
Yzerman told The Tampa Tribune Friday that there was nothing to report on a Stamkos extension, and Sportsnet said sources told them that the team wants Stamkos to play wing so that young centers such as Valtteri Filppula and Tyler Johnson can rise up on the depth chart.
Sportsnet dropped a bigger bombshell, however, when Elliotte Friedman reported that the Lightning did check the trade market ahead of the NHL Draft to see what they could get for Stamkos, but talks never went anywhere with any teams.
"The best intel I could gather is that it didn’t get close," Friedman wrote. "Some sources indicate teams called Yzerman to ask. Others say the Lightning wanted to check the market in case they eventually had to do something. A few suspected Buffalo, because Sabres GM Tim Murray is unafraid to take bold steps."
So will the Lightning actually trade Stamkos? Friedman said he has no evidence of that happening at the moment, but it is definitely something to keep an eye on during the season. Meanwhile, Toronto fans can keep their campaign alive to get Stamkos to come home and sign with the Maple Leafs next summer. The idea of Stamkos as a Maple Leaf might still be a dream, but the lack of moves regarding Stamkos over the summer means it is not time to face reality ... yet.
(h/t Sportsnet)
