Bolts GM: We’re not trading Stamkos

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois wants to put an end to any chatter about the notion that he’d deal away his longtime franchise cornerstone.

“The one thing I would say just to get it out there because I know as we get closer to the deadline, it’s a popular and interesting and frequent topic: ‘Who’s going to get traded? Who won’t get traded?'” BriseBois said Tuesday, according to team reporter Chris Krenn.

“Steven Stamkos isn’t getting traded. You can all write that … so we can put that one to bed if anyone was speculating on that,” the GM continued. “That’s not going to change between now and the deadline under any circumstances.”

BriseBois said they’ll sit down after the season to evaluate where both the team and Stamkos are and try to “make all the parts work together.” The GM noted that the fact that Stamkos has been the face of the Lightning franchise for so long “obviously factors” into the decision.

Stamkos is a pending unrestricted free agent who was eligible to sign an extension as of July 1, 2023. Tampa Bay isn’t as much of a lock to make the 2023-24 postseason as it has been in recent years; the Bolts occupy fifth place in the Atlantic Division in points percentage through 44 games.

Stamkos has captained the perennially competitive squad since 2013-14 and has been the sole holder of the “C” since 2014-15. The veteran forward, who’ll turn 34 on Feb. 7, has played all 16 of his NHL seasons with Tampa Bay and is the club’s all-time leader in games played, goals, and points while ranking second in assists.

The two-time “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner and one-time Hart runner-up helped the Bolts win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021 (though he was injured for all but one postseason game during the first one) and was a part of four Cup Final appearances (2015 and 2022 being the others). Tampa drafted him first overall in 2008.

He’s still producing at an impressive clip, having notched a point per game over 41 contests – including 18 goals – while averaging nearly 19 minutes of ice time.

The Lightning have about $65 million committed to players’ cap hits next season with only depth players left to sign after Stamkos. His current deal carries an average annual value of $8.5 million, per CapFriendly.

Stamkos ‘disappointed’ by lack of extension talks

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is frustrated that he still doesn’t have a contract extension as training camp begins.

Stamkos, who’s entering the last season of an eight-year contract with an $8.5-million cap hit, said that the lack of communication from the front office is upsetting.

“To be honest, I’ve been disappointed in the lack of talk in that regard,” Stamkos told reporters, per ABC’s Kyle Burger. “It was something that I expressed at the end of last year that I wanted get something done before training camp started. There haven’t been any conversations.”

Stamkos added that he’s surprised the team hasn’t shared the same eagerness to work out a new deal.

“I’m ready whenever,” he said. “That was something I didn’t see coming, but it is what it is.”

Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said keeping Stamkos in Tampa Bay for his entire career is “in everyone’s best interest,” but he acknowledged there’s more to the situation than that.

“It’s not just about Steven playing out his career in Tampa,” the executive said, per team beat reporter Chris Krenn. “It’s about Steven staying in Tampa and the Lightning remaining a legitimate Stanley Cup contender year in and year out for the remainder of his tenure as a player on the club.

“Steven and I share the common goal of bringing the Cup back to Tampa. That’s our objective. In order for us to do that in future years, we’re going to need to spend our cap dollars as wisely as possible.”

The Lightning have not been shy about handing out extensions this offseason. They signed forward Brandon Hagel to an eight-year, $52-million extension in August. What’s more, the team projects to have over $12 million in cap space for next season with no key pending free agents outside of Stamkos.

Stamkos, 33, is still a highly productive player: He tallied 34 goals and 50 assists in 81 games last season.

The Markham, Ontario, native has spent his entire 15-year career with the Lightning after the club selected him first overall in 2008. He was named the team’s captain in 2014 and helped lead the franchise to three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances from 2020-22, winning in 2020 and 2021.

Lightning’s Stamkos: ‘This is the only jersey I ever want to wear’

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is entering the final year of his contract next season, but he’s hoping to stay with the only NHL franchise he’s known.

“In my eyes, this is the only jersey I ever want to wear in my career,” Stamkos said Tuesday, according to NHL.com’s Chris Krenn.

Stamkos will carry an $8.5-million cap hit in 2023-2024 after inking an eight-year, $68-million contract with the Lightning in 2016.

The 33-year-old had another excellent campaign for Tampa Bay, notching 34 goals and 50 assists for 84 points in 81 games. He added two goals and four points in his team’s first-round playoff loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Stamkos is already one of the greatest players in Lightning history. He has 515 goals and 1,056 points in 1,003 career games. The eight-time All-Star is a two-time Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner and helped Tampa Bay win consecutive Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.

Stamkos becomes 3rd active member of 500-goal club

Steven Stamkos is the newest member of the 500-goal club.

The Tampa Bay Lightning captain reached the milestone by redirecting Alex Killorn‘s feed against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.

Goal #500 was one for the ages! 🤌🥳

Bally Sports+ is a new option for watching Lightning games. Learn more here ➡️ https://t.co/9LNJg2DXV8@TBLightning | #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/TUXIVFF7bn

— Bally Sports Sun: Lightning (@BallyLightning) January 19, 2023

Stamkos joins Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby as the only active members of the 500-goal club. He’s the 47th player in NHL history to accomplish the feat and the only player to do so entirely in a Lightning uniform.

He wasn’t done against the Canucks, either, as Stamkos added his 20th goal of the season and 501st of his career just under 10 minutes later in the first period. He then potted an empty-netter to cap off a hat trick with under two minutes remaining.

Stamkos became the eighth player in NHL history to score his 500th goal and notch a hat trick in the same game, according to Sportsnet.

It’s been a season full of milestones for Stamkos, who reached 1,000 points earlier in the campaign. With 965career games played, he’ll also reach the 1,000-game mark by the end of the season if he stays healthy.

The Lightning drafted Stamkos first overall in 2008. He’s won both the Stanley Cup and the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy twice in his 15 years with the Bolts.

Stamkos makes history as Lightning score 8 in drubbing of Maple Leafs

Steven Stamkos scored his 34th goal of the season and became Tampa Bay’s all-time scoring leader as the Lightning beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-1 on Thursday night.

Stamkos, the first overall pick in the 2008 draft, fired a one-timer from the left circle off a feed from Nikita Kucherov for the record-breaking 954th point of his career. He moved past Martin St. Louis, who had 365 goals and 588 assists with the Lightning.

A congratulatory video was shown on the scoreboard, narrated by St. Louis.

“To do it at home against the team that I grew up idolizing,’’ said Stamkos, who is from Markham, Ontario. “Then having, (Kucherov) and (Victor Hedman) assist on a one-time shot. Then my parents were here and my wife was here … to do it at home. Then to have Marty come out and do that. I mean, I don’t really think of myself as an emotional guy, but that really hit me. It was just an amazing, amazing experience.’’

Stamkos, who added two assists, has 473 goals and 483 assists in 917 career games, all with Tampa Bay.

“What an accomplishment, and he’s got so much more left in the tank, but, wow,’’ Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “Anytime you’re becoming the franchise leader in an organization that’s been around for 30 years and have the guys you’re passing are Hall of Famers, it was a great moment.’’

Kucherov collected career point No. 600 on the Stamkos goal and added his 20th goal of the season. Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat and Ross Colton each finished with three points. Colton and Killorn scored twice. Pat Maroon added his 10th of the season for the Lightning, which set a season high in goals scored and margin of victory.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 36 shots and picked up his first win in seven starts, recording his first victory since April 1 in Chicago.

Ilya Mikheyev scored a power-play goal for the Maple Leafs. Erik Kallgren stopped 28 shots for Toronto.

In a potential first-round playoff matchup, the teams combined for 114 penalty minutes, which included five misconduct penalties and a match penalty against Toronto’s Kyle Clifford.

The Maple Leafs allowed a season high in goals.

“It was clear that the game meant more to them tonight than it meant to us,’’ Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “And it showed in how they played, how they competed.’’

Tampa Bay scored four goals in the second period to break the game open after a scoreless first period.

Killorn opened the scoring in the second as the Lightning wheeled the puck around the zone from Victor Hedman to Brandon Hagel to Erik Cernak, who sent a shot from along the right boards that Killorn deflected for his 24th of the season at 3:54

Colton scored his 20th of the season to make it 2-0, tapping in a backdoor pass from Nick Paul at 11:37. Stamkos made it 3-0 on the record-breaking goal, with an assist from Kucherov at 12:38. Kucherov finished off the second-period outburst with a power-play goal at 15:07.

“I really liked the urgency tonight,’’ Killorn said. “Seems like we came out and we played with a purpose right from the beginning of the game.’’

Palat scored his 17th of the season 1:12 into the third period, deflecting a Mikhail Sergachev pass while Killorn scored his second of the game and the third power-play goal for Tampa Bay, tipping a Stamkos shot past Kallgren at 4:33.

Mikhayev ended Vasilevskiy’s shutout bid with a power-play goal at 7:45, but with Clifford ejected from the game due to a match penalty for high sticking Perry, Colton scored his second of the game, tapping in a Palat pass at 8:50. Maroon scored his 10th of the season with 5:49 left.

MATTHEWS MISSING

Toronto played its third game without NHL leading goal scorer Auston Matthews, who continues to be out for undisclosed reasons, though Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe does not appear concerned it will affect his status for the start of the playoffs.

“He’s really close,’’ Keefe said. “He’s out on the ice, he’s getting his touches. We’re in a similar place to where we were a couple of days ago in terms of it just doesn’t make sense to put him in the lineup at this point.’’

Matthews leads the league with 58 goals and needs two more to become just the third player since 1996 to score 60 in a season, joining Alex Ovechkin (2007-08) and Steven Stamkos (2010-11)

NO ON POINT

The Lightning played without top center Brayden Point, who missed the game with what the team deemed a lower-body injury and is listed as day to day. Point missed practice on Wednesday for what the team called “body maintenance”

Point missed 14 games earlier this season with a shoulder injury. He led the league in playoff goals each of the past two postseasons.

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: At Florida Panthers on Saturday.

Lightning: Host Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Stamkos placed on LTIR, will miss at least 7 more games

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos has been placed on long-term injured reserved retroactive to April 9 due to a lower-body injury, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith.

Stamkos has missed the club’s past three games. He’ll be forced to miss at least 10 contests total and won’t be eligible to return until May 5, per Smith.

The Lightning have 13 games remaining this season. They currently sit tied atop the Central Division with the Carolina Hurricanes with one extra game played.

Stamkos has notched 34 points in 38 games in 2021.

Stamkos placed on COVID-19 list

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos was placed on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list, the team announced Friday.

Stamkos, 31, didn’t play against the Florida Panthers on Thursday due to a lower-body injury and missed practice Friday. He’s the only Lightning player currently on the list.

The 6-foot-1 pivot opened up about the situation later Friday.

Thx to everyone who has reached out. At this time we suspect a false positive test. Hopefully that’s the case, and I will be back on the ice in the next couple of days 🤞. Until then I will continue to follow the NHL Covid list protocols. https://t.co/TWDEE9Zrfx

— Steven Stamkos (@RealStamkos91) February 13, 2021

Stamkos leads the Lightning with seven goals and ranks second with 14 points through 11 games.

Tampa Bay is slated for a rematch with the Panthers on Saturday before the teams close out their three-game set Monday.

Kucherov to miss 2021 season, but Stamkos expected to be ready

Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov will undergo hip surgery and miss the 2021 regular season, general manager Julien BriseBois announced Wednesday, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith.

However, center Steven Stamkos is expected to be ready to start the campaign versus the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 13, BriseBois added. Tampa Bay’s team captain missed all but 2:47 of ice time during the club’s Stanley Cup-winning run while battling lower-body injuries of his own.

Kucherov, 27, tallied 33 goals and 85 points during the pandemic-altered 2019-20 season, pacing the Cup-winners with 34 playoff points. The perennial All-Star winger has accrued 398 points while averaging 38.3 goals per season over the past four years.

The Russian sharpshooter first reported hip issues in early December, according to Smith. Kucherov elected to undergo surgery after attempting to rehab his ailment, determining he couldn’t play through the injury for the entire season.

Stamkos not among Lightning’s untouchable players

The Tampa Bay Lightning have ruled out dealing four players this offseason, but captain Steven Stamkos isn’t one of them, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

The Lightning told other teams that forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, along with defenseman Victor Hedman and netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, are considered untouchables, McKenzie adds.

General manager Julien BriseBois is looking to offload contracts this offseason as Tampa faces a serious cap crunch. The club has just $5.33 million in projected cap space for 2020-21 with key restricted free-agent forward Anthony Cirelli, and defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak up for new deals.

Stamkos, 30, has four years remaining on his current contract, which carries the team’s third-highest annual cap hit at $8.5 million. He also has a full no-move clause in his deal.

The 6-foot-1 sniper ranked second on the Lightning in goals (29) and points (66) through 57 games this season. Stamkos was sidelined with an injury for most of the club’s Stanley Cup run and contributed one goal in just 2:47 of ice time in the playoffs.

Lightning forward Tyler Johnson, who is on the books for $5 million in each of the next four seasons, has reportedly agreed to help the club find a potential trade.

Stamkos had injury related to hernia surgery, expected to be ready for 2020-21

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois revealed Thursday the extent of the mysterious injury that kept Steven Stamkos out for all but five shifts of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Stamkos underwent surgery for a sports hernia prior to the NHL’s pause in March, BriseBois told NHL.com’s Bryan Burns. The Lightning captain recovered from that injury and fully participated in Phase 2 of the league’s return-to-play plan, but his rehab triggered a compensation injury.

“We fully expect him to be ready for next season,” BriseBois said, adding that Stamkos will meet with a specialist next week to ascertain the full extent of his current injury.

BriseBois also said Stamkos is expected to recover in a matter of weeks rather than months.

Stamkos saw just 2:47 of ice time during the postseason – scoring a goal in Game 3 of the finals – but the Lightning were victorious anyway, beating the Dallas Stars in six games to win the Stanley Cup.

The 30-year-old was productive when healthy during the regular season, tallying 29 goals and 37 assists in 57 games.