Tampa Bay Lightning Finally Begin Contract Negotiations With Steven Stamkos

The Tampa Bay Lightning have begun contract negotiations with Steven Stamkos with a reported offer of $8.5 million a year.

This is a very low offer for a player of Stamkos’ talent and it’s obvious that he won’t agree to any contract below his reported asking price of $10 million a year. Tampa Bay probably wasn’t expecting Stamkos to accept that offer, but it’s meant as a way to begin negotiations on a price that both parties can find agreeable.

Stamkos will want a similar contract to the one Anze Kopitar recently signed with the Los Angeles Kings for an eight-year $10 million-per-year deal. So far this season Stamkos has 37 points in 48 games, and if he continues at this pace it will be his lowest offensive year besides his rookie season.

Regardless of whether Stamkos signs with Tampa Bay or another team during free agency, he will be expecting at least $10 million a year. What this means is that whichever team signs him has to be positive that Stamkos will be worth the huge salary and that his salary won’t restrict the ability to sign other players. This is something that must be a major deciding factor for Tampa Bay re-signing Stamkos because they have multiple players that will need to be re-signed within the next few years and all of them will undoubtedly want a raise.

The Lightning could re-sign Stamkos and hope that they will be able to afford their other players. They could trade Stamkos at the deadline and get a large return if they have no intention of re-signing him.

These are the choices Tampa Bay must make before the NHL Trade Deadline, and there will be lasting consequences for the team.