Steven Stamkos Staying With Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay Lightning fans worried that team captain Steven Stamkos would skate off to a sweeter deal in free agency can breathe a little easier.

Several media outlets are reporting that Stamkos has decided to stick with the Bolts.

Although Stamkos was a relative non-entity in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs due to injury, the 26-year-old was a hot commodity as his contract’s end neared. Some media outlets are reporting that as many as 15 teams were bucking to add Stamkos to their rosters had a new deal with the Lightning not been reached. Some of those teams included Stamkos’ own hometown Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings.

Lightning officials have yet to confirm the deal to keep Stamkos in place, but TSN’s Bob McKenzie and NBC Sports are both saying it’s a done deal.

NBC says Lightning GM Steve Yzerman has been rumored to have offered Stamkos a $8.5 million annual deal for eight years.

Stamkos also confirmed an eight-year deal via his Twitter account. He didn't mention financials, but did say he was excited to be sticking around.

The Bolts made it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs two years in a row under Stamkos’ leadership. In the 2014-2015 season, the team won the Eastern Conference Championships. This year, the Bolts fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the conference finals. Stamkos returned to the ice in the final game of the series against Pittsburgh.

Image via Michael Miller, (CC BY-SA 3.0)