The notion of Tampa Bay Lightning captain, former first overall pick and all-around star Steven Stamkos winding up in a new NHL home at some point this season seems so farfetched as to be almost nonsensical. But, despite questions of the idea's legitimacy, the fact remains that Stamkos is not under contract after this season and his representatives and the Lightning, led by GM Steve Yzerman, have not yet made what can, from the outside, be rightly considered significant or even appreciable headway on a new deal. Now, before Lightning fans get all fired up at that previous statement, take a look at what Stamkos' agent, Don Meehan, had to say late Monday in regards to the state of contract negotiations.
"But we're engaged with Steve Yzerman," Meehan said, while appearing on an episode of Toronto's TSN 1050, via Today's Slap Shot. "And as I say, we have a great relationship with him. And when you get to a point in a career where you have professional decisions to make like this - as you know, the Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn't really afford you this kind of opportunity that often. And the Collective Bargaining Agreement is a give and take process, and it's something that you - for this kind of a decision and this kind of player, I really think that you have to practice due diligence to the nth degree."
Does that sound like a man willing to cut the Lightning a hometown discount in order to see his client play with one team, the team that drafted and developed him into the elite player that he is, his entire career? Nope. Does it sound like a guy who wants to check under every rock, behind every stick bin to sniff out any and every possible deal that could potentially be out there for one of the game's best players, who also happens to be on the verge of entering NHL free agency in the prime of his career? Very much yes.
Of course, Meehan also indicated to Toronto's TSN 1050's hosts that he and Stamkos have "a great rapport and an excellent professional relationship" with Yzerman, though he went on to say that there were some issues he and the Lightning GM had to work out at the end of last year.
In the end, Stamkos' NHL future almost assuredly remains with the Lightning. Unless Yzerman and head coach Jon Cooper decide that whatever figure Stamkos and Meehan are seeking will destroy their cap situation and make it so they are unable to field a consistently competitive team, there's really no reason Stamkos won't be back.
But just like there's no denying that Tampa Bay would be a significantly less talented team without Stamkos, there's also no denying that any number of other NHL franchises would likely be willing to break the bank, in terms of money, term and picks and/or prospects, in order to land Stamkos.
Crazier things have happened in the NHL, and it sure sounds like Meehan, and therefore Stamkos, are committed to getting the best deal, above all other possible considerations.
