Steven Stamkos is entering the final year of his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season, but the team’s general manager Julien BriseBois is urging caution in negotiating a new agreement with his captain.
The number 91 of the “Bolts” had already expressed his disappointment in September about the course of talks with the club, which had drafted him first in the 2008 draft. By his own admission, he wanted things to work out. An agreement before the start of training camp, which obviously didn’t happen.
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In an interview with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the Lightning GM made his position on the matter clear: He first wants to see how the new version of his team performs on the ice.
“Ultimately, I made the decision that it was in the best interest of our organization to wait until the end of the season to see what we have here, to see how we perform, to see how all of these play out adapt to different new arrivals,” explained BriseBois. We will then be better able to make the best decision and prepare for continued success.”
However, that doesn’t mean BriseBois doesn’t want Stamkos to continue his career in Florida, quite the opposite.
“I think it would be great for the organization to have Steven [Stamkos] is ending his career here, he said. He wants it, but we want Steven to finish his career in Tampa and for the club to remain a legitimate Stanley Cup contender for the remainder of his tenure.
Stamkos currently makes $8.5 million per season. He signed his current pact on June 29, 2016.
In 1,004 career games, all with Tampa Bay, the 33-year-old forward has 515 goals and 542 assists for 1,057 points.