Steven Stamkos Wants To Remain with the Tampa Bay Lightning

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet joined Sirius XM NHL Network Radio Morning Skate with Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick and when asked about the future of Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay, Friedman believes Stamkos will stay with the Lightning.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Gord Stellick: “I’ve got a few months ahead of this, but I am curious what a great season Steven Stamkos had, and they did once before go out test tires, and he came back, and I’m curious where you think his head might be at as kind of like a Patrick Kane situation so many routes there in Tampa Bay, but yet another time that a deal wasn’t worked out during the season before?”

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Elliotte Friedman: “Well, I always assume that he wants to stay, and I think they’re under the assumption that Steven Stamkos’s choice is to stay a member of the Lightning. And  I don’t have any reason, as we talk right now, to believe that that has changed.

And I don’t remember last time, you know, Stamkos still got a big deal. But it wasn’t as big as he could have got on the open market. And the Lightning knew that he wanted to be there and they can say look, this is our number. If you want to be here, this is our number, and he took it, and unntil again, I’m told differently, things are indicated differently then I’m under the impression that that’s going to be the case here in Tampa too.

They know there he wants to stay and they’re prepared to make him an offer but there’s a limit. And you’re right. He’s still a very effective player. I mean, there’s no question about that. And that’s the way I kind of expect this to play out too.

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And unless somebody makes a decision that either they don’t want him or he doesn’t want them, but I find that hard to believe from his point of view, because the surest predictor of future behavior is past behavior, and Steven Stamkos has always indicated that he wanted to stay.”