According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Steven Stamkos is signing a four-year, $32 million contract to join the Nashville Predators.
The 34-year-old Stamkos has been with the Tampa Bay Lightning since the franchise selected him with the No. 1 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 move “to July 1” to test the free agent market.
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 coveted unrestricted free agent, is four years younger than Stamkos and has scored at least 30 goals in each of the past three seasons.
Stamkos ‘excited about the next chapter’ with Predators
Before the deal was made official, Stamkos, who had served as Lightning captain since 2014, headed to X to part ways with Tampa. In 16 seasons with the Lightning, he scored 555 goals and 1,137 points, won two Rocket Richard Trophies as the league’s top 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 look forward to the next chapter….
— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) July 1, 2024
It’s been 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).
