BUFFALO, N.Y. – Steven Stamkos awoke to a new reality today.
He now lives in a world where rival general managers are speaking openly about backing a Brink’s truck up to his house. For the first time since he was a teenager, he can truly start visualizing what it might be like to play for a team other than the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Even if he’s known this day would likely arrive while playing out the final year of his contract, there is bound to be a different feeling now that it’s actually here.
That’s certainly what Daniel Alfredsson discovered three years ago when he made the stunning decision to sign in Detroit. The longtime Senators captain was focused exclusively on Ottawa until arriving at the interview period prior to free agency and getting to peer behind the curtain.
“I didn’t really see myself making a change a week ago, but as we got closer to free agency, thoughts started creeping in,” Alfredsson explained in July 2013.
Now the suitors are queueing up to woo a player that is poised to become the biggest name to hit unrestricted free agency in the NHL’s salary cap era. We know that Buffalo and Boston will be among them. You can count on Detroit and a few others being there as well.
Stamkos and his agent, Don Meehan of Newport Sports, are currently free to speak openly with anyone and everyone. By next Friday, he can officially put pen to paper on a new contract.
It’s an intriguing dynamic that came into full view as the entry draft wrapped up at First Niagara Center. Lightning GM Steve Yzerman spoke about the Stamkos situation with a stiff upper lip just minutes before Sabres counterpart Tim Murray signalled his intentions to pursue No. 91.
“I assume on a player like that, that the teams that have cap space that can fit him in will all be involved with this,” said Murray. “So it’s going to be a stiff competition, I’m sure. You’ve got to show them your blueprint, he’s certainly going to look at your roster, I’m sure. I think there’s going to be a lot of equals as far as money, there won’t be a lot of equals as far as geography.”
That last part was a reference to the fact that Stamkos grew up a short drive away in Markham, Ont.
With so little tangible information at our disposal, it’s somewhat difficult to handicap the chase. What matters most to the 26-year-old forward?
Stamkos has repeatedly expressed a desire to stay in Tampa, but it’s unlikely the Lightning will offer him the richest deal because of the dance it will have to perform with the salary cap in the coming years.
A team like Buffalo, for example, could come in with an offer of $12 million per year. They are entering the free agent season with an aggressive approach.
“We have holes, but we’re going to chase the big fish,” said Murray. “As we get close on them or let down by them, then we’ll change direction.”
The Red Wings cleared cap space over the weekend by trading Pavel Datsyuk’s $7.5-million cap hit to Arizona. They’re in position to make a big offer as well. Interestingly, it’s the Toronto Maple Leafs that would need to create room next season if they want to get in on the action with a player they’ve been linked to for a year or more.
These promise to be a fascinating few days for Stamkos. The former first overall pick arrived to Tampa in 2008 with great expectations and became one of the premier goal scorers of his generation.
He also captained the team to the Stanley Cup final in 2015 and saw it get to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final this spring while he was sidelined following surgery for a blood clot.
While the chances of him returning to the Lightning don’t look particularly good now that he’s talking to other teams, they can’t be ruled out entirely. Tampa has become home for him. It’s a place where he can unquestionably win a Stanley Cup.
Yzerman hasn’t ruled out the possibility and feels comfortable that everything has been put on the table between the two sides.
“We’re both very clear on our positions,” he said.
If there are any hard feelings, they weren’t showing. The Hall of Famer has seen just about everything during his time in the game.
“Players have a right to decide – whether it’s unrestricted free agency or what – they have a right to make their own decisions and I don’t judge anybody on that,” said Yzerman.
“It’s part of the business, it’s part of the job,” he added. “You just work through things.”
Right now Stamkos is working through the idea of playing somewhere other than Tampa. Yes, this is anything but business as usual.
