It was unknown at the time what Stamkos' future with the Tampa Bay Lightning held, and it remains somewhat questionable now. Undoubtedly, Steven Stamkos stands as one of the greatest players to have ever worn a Lightning uniform, but after the team's second early playoff exit, many speculated that the franchise would choose to take a different turn.
In less than five weeks, Stamkos will become an unrestricted free agent, thus the Lightning must move quickly to re-sign their all-time top goal scorer.
During a press conference, Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois stated that negotiations for a contract with Steven Stamkos and his team are "ongoing" following the team's transfer of Ryan McDonagh back to them.
Given Stamkos' importance to the franchise, it's logical that they want to bring him back, rather than go in a another way. On the cap front, though, things get complicated with Ryan McDonagh's return because Nashville is not keeping his salary. Since the Lightning's cap space for the 202425 season is currently limited to $5.035 million, Brisebois and his team will almost certainly need to make another deal.
Whether Stamkos signs with the Lightning or a different team in free agency, the contract he receives might be very expensive. With his sixth season of 40 goals or more in 202324, Stamkos is not slowing down and may be approaching the $89 million AAV threshold on a shorter-term contract.
