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Steven Stamkos and Lightning working towards extension

By Dave Stevenson

Jun 3, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) in the second period in game one of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 3, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) in the second period in game one of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Tampa Bay Lightning and Steven Stamkos have begun discussing a contract extension. It’s likely that Stamkos and Tampa Bay will hammer something out.

It’s taken a while to happen, but it seems like Steven Stamkos and Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman have finally started to discuss the inevitable: Stamkos’s extension.

Stamkos’s agent Don Meehan addressed why it has taken so long for the talks to begin heat up in a recent radio interview.

"“All that we’re really doing at this point in time is taking a little bit more time,” Meehan said. “But we’re engaged with Steve Yzerman. And as I say, we have a great relationship with him. And when you get to a point in a career where you have professional decisions to make like this – as you know, the Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t really afford you this kind of opportunity that often. And the Collective Bargaining Agreement is a give and take process, and it’s something that you – for this kind of a decision and this kind of player, I really think that you have to practice due diligence to the nth degree.”"

Steven Stamkos’s extension should get hammered out soon. It’s in the best interest of both parties involved that Stamkos and Tampa Bay agree to an extension. It benefits the Lightning because it allows them to keep Stamkos. Stamkos has played an enormous role in turning Tampa Bay into a successful franchise despite being in a market that wasn’t originally viewed as being a strong hockey market. Setting his cap number for the future will also help the Lightning in making roster decisions.

It benefits Steven Stamkos to get this painful extension process over with because it will allow him to focus solely on hockey. Stamkos is a true professional who would never admit that the uncertainty surrounding his future has even crossed his mind. Realistically, it’s probably crossed his mind quite a bit lately. An extension would help ease his mind and ensure that he stays with the franchise that he has given so much to.

Stamkos has seven goals and three assists in his first 16 games this season as the Lightning are off to a bit of a slow start. Stamkos obviously wants to get paid a ton of money (and rightfully so). At the same time, Steven Stamkos is obsessed with winning. It’s what makes him such an excellent player. He wants to get paid and he wants to win. Tampa Bay can fulfill both of those needs. It’s likely that Stamkos’s next contract will be in excess of $10,000,000 a season.

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