Steve Stamkos Watch

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

 

I was going to post this in the Tampa Bay Lightning forum, but after some consideration, figured this may be a topic that is more league-wide than just the Lightning.

 

Yes, Steven Stamkos is entering the final year of his current contract....one that will pay him a "measly" $5.5M, a veritable bargain for the type of player he is.

And yes, there is STILL nothing official from Steve Yzerman or ownership regarding getting Stammer a new deal..........and of course, THIS is where the "league wide" part comes in:

 

Just about every team from Boston to Vancouver and every place inbetween will be trying to think of ways that THEY could fit Stamkos and his soon to be monster contract in their plans should the Bolts not be able (or willing) to hold onto him.

 

Looking at it from a neutral standpoint, arguments can be made both ways FOR keeping Stamkos and AGAINST re-signing him at what is sure to be a heavyweight AAV and tenure........think Patrick Kane - Jonathan Toews type money here people ($10.5M cap hit!).

 

Face of the franchise, true superstar player, leader-type player that can elevate the play of those around him, and he is still very young and probably has not quite hit the ceiling of what he can do..........some of the reasons to keep him around.

 

Reasons against? The aforementioned crazy cap hit.......keeping in mind the Bolts will have several other deserving talents that will need raises sooner than later.

 

Officially, Steve Yzerman has said that "there is nothing to report" as of August.....but at the same time, as last season ended, he DID say it would be a priority to get Stamkos signed to a new deal.

 

Meanwhile, as the silence on this situation drags on, other teams, most notably the Toronto Maple Leafs if you were to go by most 'rumors' out there, will be circling the water just itching to take a big bite out of Tampa Bay's offense and making him their own.

 

This thread can be used to discuss Steven Stamkos either staying in Tampa Bay, pros and cons, or for discussing how he may fit in other team's plans and even perhaps why the Lightning should NOT sign him.....let another team take the risk and financial hit with his new contract, and use the money to spread out and pay a handful of other players they have.

 

Obviously, as a Bolts fan, I want Stamkos staying right where he is......that is my heart saying that, but there are some very good reasons as well why it is logical for him to stay put.......not the least of which is making the statement to the fanbase and the entire NHL that "Yes, we WILL keep and reward our star players!"

 

Stamkos has played for the Bolts for relative pocket change for a player of his caliber....that 5.5M he is getting paid this year....that is LOWER than what Valteri Filppula and Ryan Callahan will be making this season (6.4M apiece)...and is on par with with the 5.5M Matt Carle is making.

Think about that...Matt Freakin Carle, making the same money this season as Steven Stamkos.

 

Yea, Stammer has been making the lower end of what he could have...and now its time to really get paid.

So do the Bolts step up?

Or does Stamkos start house shopping somewhere way up North or West?

[jammer2]

  I really think Stevie Y will do his due diligence here, in other words, he can quietly shop him (lol, is that even possible?/) and determine what would be coming back could get the Bolts to a championship quicker. You could give the team he is being traded to exclusive rights to negeioate....even state if no deal is reached with Stammer on a long term deal, then no deal period...making it a no risk thing for the team involved giving up ridiculous assets to acquire him. Maybe a Winnipeg or Buffalo would be interested in parting ways with a few renowned prospects...etc....

[mojo1917]

if he's allowed to get to UFA back up the Brinks truck...holy smokes. 

 

Is he not the face of the franchise ?  

He's one of the best players in the league, the best shot in the game right now.  

I really don't see any wisdom in not resigning him. 

The Crunch is you know good, but there isn't a Steve Stamkos there. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

if he's allowed to get to UFA back up the Brinks truck...holy smokes. 

 

Is he not the face of the franchise ?  

He's one of the best players in the league, the best shot in the game right now.  

I really don't see any wisdom in not resigning him. 

The Crunch is you know good, but there isn't a Steve Stamkos there. 

 

All very good reasons to sign Steven Stamkos whatever it takes.

 

Some of my initial post had me playing devil's advocate....simply presenting why Stamkos could be allowed to walk.

You have the entire Triplets Line that will be due raises, you have Victor Hedman, you have some outstanding up n comers like Vladi Namestnikov and in the pipeline Anthony DeAngelo....and then you have to figure either the Bolts are gonna keep Ben Bishop after his contract is up in two years, where he is already making 6M.....or sign a guy like Andrei Vasilevskiy to a long term contract if they feel HE is good enough to tow the line.

 

And a large Stamkos contract could be a hindrance to all that.

 

But make no mistake, I am with you: Just sign Steven Stamkos. Period.

You didn't see Washington let Ovechkin get away, you didn't see Pittsburgh let Crosby walk away......and if the Bolts want to create a deep history as many of the storied franchises in the NHL have, then they need to show they are serious when it comes to keeping and paying their stars.

 

And you are right about another thing: the Crunch do have some good players, but none better than Stamkos is.

On another thread, Marty St. Louis was viewed as the 'GOAT' for the Lightning, and that is well deserved, but give Stamkos just a bit more time in a Lightning uniform, and he is taking that title....hands down.

 

Bolts can give this guy a max contract, and he will STILL only be about 33 or 34 when it is done.

Teams often yearn for a player of Stammers caliber...Bolts have him, so I say they should make him happy and keep him a Bolt for life.

 

Some sacrifices will need to be made regarding personnel, but even me, playing as very amateur GM, can see ways to get around the salaries and cap restrictions...and I can see it, no doubt a professional like Steve Yzerman can as well.

 

I am all for it: Get Stamkos that new deal and shut the media up AND shut up the likes of fanbases such as Toronto, Montreal, and/or Detroit who think they may have a shot at him.

[BluPuk]

He's not going anywhere but Tampa.

 

Unfortunately      

 

It would not surprise me if he got $10 M per.......

[jammer2]

He's not going anywhere but Tampa.

 

Unfortunately      

 

It would not surprise me if he got $10 M per.......

 

 I think Stevie is very wary of that kind of cap hit...moving him for a few young stars might not be out of Stevie's wheel house. A 10 mill cap hit would really hurt his ability to trade and sign UFA's etc...some finishing pieces are needed. All depends on if Steve thinks last years poor showing in the playoffs was an abberation, or the start of an underwhelming playoff career.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Here ya go guys...just to illustrate the kinds of waters Stevie Y has to navigate as it relates to the salary cap:

 

 

Courtesy of NHL Numbers...

First dark grey column is the current cap hit for each player under their contract....yellow column is the actual money they are making...and the columns after that are the following years where players are either under contract, RFA's, or UFA's.

 

Ok, nothing new there, we all understand that.

 

But seeing as how the Bolts are near the cap limit (over right now, but Ohlund's LITR will bring that down a bit to just under), a big contract for Stamkos (lets say Toews money and call it 10.5M) would bit BIG time for many years into it.

 

Thus, I believe, in order for the Bolts to be able to keep Stammer, some other high money contracts need to be moved.

Matt Carle's 5.5M and Valteri Filppula's 5M come to mind right away.

 

As you guys can also see, Victor Hedman, currently at at a 4M hit, will require a new contract after next season (UFA), as will Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat (currently at 3.3M...though they will be RFA's)...same with Jonathan Drouin, whose current cap hit is 3.19M despite him only making 925K, due to bonus money he got.

 

Lots of parts Yzerman has to be be aware of and juggle....but I think a Stamkos long term deal IS very possible if Filppula and Carle were to be moved...Filppula, IMO, having more value that could probably bring back a better return than Carle.

 

And if some 'young gun' would need to be parted ways with due to cap constraints, I am thinking the Bolts could probably get a good return for either Nikita Kucherov or Vladi Namestnikov.

 

I like both those guys, but in trying to stay realistic, it may very well be the Bolts simply cannot hold onto both those guys while also keeping Stamkos, Palat, Johnson, and Hedman............and we haven't even gotten into the goalie situation with Bishop (6M for two more seasons, then UFA) and Vasilevskiy who is making 925K for the next two seasons before becoming an RFA.

 

Some say this is "Cap Hell".

Perhaps....but in all honesty, it just looks like a "Cap Challenge" to me, where Yzerman has to be the shrewd GM he has been to this point and find the best way to make this work.

 

Hey, the Lightning have long had a desire to be competitive year in, year out...heck, MORE than just competitive...a championship caliber team year in, year out.

 

Well, these sorts of things go with the territory if you want that.

Having lots of talent, having to PAY said talent....and making the tough choices on whom to part ways with and whom to keep on, even though the GM would rather just keep them all.

 

The Chicago Blackhawks have had to deal with it as have others like the Penguins, Bruins, and the Wings....and all have kept either championship capable teams together for stretches or at least playoff bound teams together all while making tough decisions regarding salaries.

 

Stamkos says he isn't too concerned (as he shouldn't be...focus on hockey, let his agent deal with this) and Yzerman, as always, is cool, calm, and collected.

I hope this simply means both camps have an idea how they want to proceed and just get something done before the media begins to stir the pot once again and possibly cause a distraction during the season.

 

Meanwhile, other hungry teams continue to lay in the weeds.........

 

 

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Here is another attachment to my previous post...it shows what the Bolts have in the minors with regards to players and salaries.

 

 

 

 

 

Note Slater Koekkoek and Anthony DeAngelo on defense, Adam Erne at forward, and Adam Wilcox in goal.

 

Those are pieces that, over the next couple seasons, could be mainstays at the NHL level, and why the Bolts can afford to part ways with guys like Matt Carle, Valterri Filppula, and let a guy like Braydon Coburn walk after his deal is up.

 

Also, if Andrei Vasilelevskiy and Wilcox show they are both the real deal, then even Ben Bishop can be made expendable.

 

And those players the Lightning would need to part with in order to fit a large Stamkos cap hit would very much have value to other teams and the Bolts could do well to collect picks, decent prospects, or NHL ready serviceable journeymen for them.

[BluPuk]

Yah, I know about the numbers. But somehow, Tampa has to either pony up the bucks that Stammer would get elsewhere, or admit that they are a pretender in stead of a contender. Any figuring out of where the money has to go in the future, has to start with Steve Stamkos. Then the rest have to fill in the spaces....

 

I hate the hard cap, and so should any real hockey fan. Another bullet for Bettman......

 

Rant over.   (for now)

[J0e Th0rnton]

Yah, I know about the numbers. But somehow, Tampa has to either pony up the bucks that Stammer would get elsewhere, or admit that they are a pretender in stead of a contender. Any figuring out of where the money has to go in the future, has to start with Steve Stamkos. Then the rest have to fill in the spaces....

 

I hate the hard cap, and so should any real hockey fan. Another bullet for Bettman......

 

Rant over.   (for now)

Nah. The cap was a great idea. Before the cap, Detroit, New York and Toronto could just buy anybody(even if they did not fit the team) and it pissed off everyone else with budgets.

[GUSTER12345]

Nah. The cap was a great idea. Before the cap, Detroit, New York and Toronto could just buy anybody(even if they did not fit the team) and it pissed off everyone else with budgets.

what is the cap set at?

[jammer2]

what is the cap set at?

 

http://www.broadstreethockey.com/2015/6/23/8832711/nhl-salary-cap-2015-2016-season

[WordsOfWisdom]

 

 

Meanwhile, as the silence on this situation drags on, other teams, most notably the Toronto Maple Leafs if you were to go by most 'rumors' out there, will be circling the water just itching to take a big bite out of Tampa Bay's offense and making him their own.

 

 

My thoughts:

 

• I think the Leafs are way too early in their rebuild to be thinking about acquiring superstar players. One elite forward cannot lift a 30th place team like the Leafs. Sundin and Kessel are two recent history lessons of what would happen to Stamkos in Toronto. It would be Stamkos carrying the load with absolutely no supporting cast whatsoever.

 

• I don't think all the money in the world would get Stamkos to sign in Toronto. This would be his last choice out of 30 NHL teams to play for. Who would want to go from a Cup contender to join a team that is going to be in the draft lottery for the next 3-4 years? Toronto has zero appeal to superstar players in their prime.

 

[Unleashed Fury]

Don't think Stevie Yzerman would be nuts if he tried and trade Stamkos. It would be his head by the fans if he did. I do however see Tyler Johnson taking some of Steven Stamkos thunder away this season.

[Unleashed Fury]

I actually could see Steven Stamkos going to a team from Canada or a Northern team in the United States to be closer to home. With other players on the Lightning emerging and will be asking for higher salaries they can only afford some of them. Last season he dropped off a little to 72 points and I am not going to count the 2 years he only played a partial season. But from the 2009 season through the 2012 sason he was in the same talk as Ovechkin and Crosby. Lasy season I don't know if I could put him in with them even though he did have a great season. He could leave Tampa though in my opinion.

[Unleashed Fury]

Send him to Buffalo as long as we do not have to sell the farm

I wouldn't trade Jack Eichel for Steven Stamkos. I really think the Sabres are starting to go in the right direction. It may be a few years until they are playoff bound. The need some defense and a goalie.