Steven Stamkos has signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Nashville Predators, the team announced Monday.
The 34-year-old Stamkos has been with the Tampa Bay Lightning since the franchise selected him with the first overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft.
The lack of contract extension talks between Stamkos and Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois during the regular season was a sign that a return to Tampa was not guaranteed. After last-ditch talks in recent weeks went nowhere, Stamkos’ agent said the Lightning legend would “go to July 1” to test the free agent market.
“To be honest, I’ve asked myself the same question and the more people I talk to, the more people seem to share the same sentiment, which is confusing and strange,” Stamkos said when asked on Sportsnet where the negotiations went wrong. “At the end of the day, there was no question that I was willing to put all of those things aside to remain a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.”
“We wanted it to end and we wanted to retire with the Tampa Bay Lightning,” Stamkos said. “It definitely didn’t work out, but at the end of the day, you have to be honest with yourself to be able to look yourself in the mirror, know your self-worth, know what loyalty and respect mean to you and move on. And that’s why it’s so exciting for our family. Once we got over that hurdle, we zeroed in on a few teams, Nashville being high on that list and the mutual interest from day one. How aggressive they were, how accommodating they were in terms of questions or concerns, and it just seemed like a natural fit.”
On Sunday, the Lightning acquired the negotiating rights to Jake Guentzel from the Carolina Hurricanes, signing the forward to a nine-year, $63 million contract. Guentzel, who was expected to become a highly coveted unrestricted free agent, is four years younger than Stamkos and has scored at least 30 goals in each of the last three seasons.
Stamkos ‘excited about next chapter’ with Predators
Before the deal became official, Stamkos, who had been the Lightning’s captain since 2014, parted ways with Tampa at X. In 16 seasons with the Lightning, he scored 555 goals and 1,137 points, won two Rocket Richard Trophies as the league’s leading scorer and led the franchise to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021.
Thank you Tampa ❤️❤️
I don’t have words yet… I will soon.It’s too early to process. I wanted to let everyone know how grateful we are for 16 years as a bolt.
My family and I are looking forward to the next chapter….
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) July 1, 2024
It was a busy first hour of NHL free agency for Predators GM Barry Trotz. Along with Stamkos, he added forward Jonathan Marchessault (five years, $27.5 million) and defenseman Brady Skjei (seven years, $49 million).
