That sound you heard in Steven Stamkos’s voice after making the most important decision of his career?
Relief. Pure, simple relief.
Even with a day to process his decision to stay with the Tampa Bay Lightning on a $68-million, eight-year contract, Stamkos was still feeling the effects of an intense interview period where he started speaking with other teams.
“It was a very tough decision, it truly was,” Stamkos said Thursday on a conference call. “I can’t sit here and say that this past week has been fun. I’m sure everyone experiences different things when they go through free agency and through the process, but it was pretty stressful to be honest.
“I’m glad it’s over with.”
The 26-year-old centre was within two days of becoming the most highly coveted unrestricted free agent of the NHL’s salary cap era. He had an audience with the Maple Leafs, Sabres, Canadiens and possibly the Sharks this week before halting the process and instructing agent Don Meehan to get a deal done with the Lighting.
Had that not happened, there would have been more suitors banging on his door as well.
The process put Stamkos in the unusual position of seriously imagining what it might be like to play somewhere other than Tampa for the first time since being drafted first overall in 2008.
“When you do meet with teams and you do go through that, that thought floats through your head for sure,” he acknowledged. “I mean I’d be lying if (I said) it doesn’t. … At the end of the day, after a lot of thinking and a couple sleepless nights, I’m extremely happy with the decision that I made. Kind of relieved, to be honest, that it’s all over with.
“Now I can just focus on what I need to do in the summer to get ready for the upcoming season.”
If nothing else, the level of stress on his shoulders should be greatly reduced come the fall.
A player of his ilk would usually have inked a contract extension a year ahead of time – removing any and all doubt that he might test the market. Since that didn’t happen, Stamkos dealt with questions and speculation about his future from the start of training camp through the end of the playoffs.
The fact that he ended up right back where he started might make it look like a needlessly complicated process, but it actually put the player’s mind at ease about the commitment he was making.
“If I had a crystal ball and knew that this was going to be the outcome a year ago, I definitely would have loved to get a deal done then,” said Stamkos. “It’s something that if someone asked me that was in a similar position now if they had a chance to do a deal and not have to worry about the distractions and the questions and all that stuff, then sure that’s definitely the easy route.
“In saying that as well, it’s something that was an experience. I think I got stronger as a person and as a player in having to deal with some of that stuff.”
Perhaps the biggest win for everyone involved in the drawn-out negotiation was that virtually everything was kept in-house. Stamkos, Meehan and Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman made a pledge early on in the process and then managed to honour it.
Beyond repeatedly insisting that he wanted to remain in Tampa, it wasn’t clear what factors were most important to Stamkos.
Based on his decision, it didn’t come down to money. While the $8.5-million cap hit places him among the game’s elite, there was more to be earned elsewhere.
“Some people, when they’re in this position, chase the most money possible,” said Stamkos. “I think for me I realized the situation, and I understood that there could have been some money left out there. For me that’s not what it’s all about.”
No, for him this was about comfort and the chance to chase a Stanley Cup.
He’s a big fan of owner Jeffrey Vinik and Yzerman – “It’s people that I believe in,” he said – and thinks the Lightning have the core to get over the hump after losing in the Stanley Cup final two years ago and Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final last month.
“I want to win,” he said. “We’ve been close in Tampa.”
Everything else – concerns over whether he’s used as a centre or a winger, rumoured issues over playing time and linemates – turned out to be just noise.
The most important thing Stamkos believes he has in place with head coach Jon Cooper is an open line of communication to discuss any issues that might pop up along the way.
“I think as you go along in your career, you realize you’re never going to totally agree on everything – whether that’s with teammates or coaching staffs or management or your siblings in life,” he said. “There’s always going to be a little bit of confrontation. I think that works for a healthy relationship.”
That’s part of being a family.
After eight years, that’s what the Lightning represented to him. He may have had a meeting with his hometown Leafs on Monday that included Toronto mayor John Tory, the team’s brass and senior Canadian Tire executives – Stamkos declined to comment on it – but he never lost sight of where he came from.
“All I can reiterate is that it was an extremely exciting, but stressful week to say the least,” said Stamkos. “When you go through something like that – some people may look at the money aspect of things, but for me it definitely boiled down to what’s best for you and your family moving forward.”
A little later on, he added: “If I didn’t want to be in Tampa, I wouldn’t be in Tampa.”
