Steven Stamkos is set to leave the Tampa Bay Lightning.
This situation opens an interesting door for the Montreal Canadiens, especially for coach Martin St-Louis, who dreams of finding his “little brother” on his team.
Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said:
“So far we haven’t been able to reach an agreement yet. I don’t know if we will, but we met with Steven’s agent yesterday and both parties are still keen to reach a deal.”
“However, we have not managed to agree terms that satisfy both parties. I think at this stage it is best that I refrain from any further comment for the moment.”
Pierre LeBrun added:
“From Stamkos’ agent, Don Meehan, who told me about his client:
“He will be a free agent on July 1st.”
So it appears Stamkos will be on the market Monday, unless there is a change in Tampa’s position.”
With this uncertainty hanging over Stamkos’ future, rumors are swelling and Montreal Canadiens fans are starting to dream of seeing this star player join Montreal and especially his former mentor, Martin St-Louis.
Stamkos’ experience and leadership could accelerate the rebuild to BIG DV speed, and his arrival could mark a turning point for Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton.
Speaking of Gorton, he said yesterday to forget Stamkos in Montreal. But did he want to hide his game?
‘We think it’s too early to sign high-profile free agents’Gorton said.
“We have several young players in development who need playing time. Signing veterans to long-term contracts could hinder their progress, and that’s not what we want.”
“We don’t want to end up with big salaries that will complicate future negotiations with Juraj Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle, Kirby Dach and our best young players.”
Pierre LeBrun says the Montreal Canadiens could take a special approach by offering short-term contracts with high salaries to top free agents.
This strategy would allow the CH to improve its team offensively while maintaining a certain flexibility for the future.
Indeed, shorter but more lucrative contracts could lure Stamkos without compromising long-term salary flexibility.
The CH has the financial capacity to be aggressive, but Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton also want to maintain flexibility under the salary cap to manage their young core in the future.
The idea would be to attract free agents like Stamkos with two- or three-year contracts, offering a higher average annual salary than most other teams.
Free agents often seek long-term contracts to maximize their scarce access to the open market. But Stamkos, at 34, would be an ideal target for a short-term deal.
A big annual salary for a few years…and the opportunity to play for his former mentor, Martin St-Louis.
Will Stamkos be seduced? Utah and the Detroit Red Wings are the big favorites in this file. It’s up to Kent Hughes to foil their plans.
