Fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning received great news earlier in the week when it was announced that Steve Stamkos had agreed to a new five-year contract worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $37.5 million. A nice chunk of change for Stamkos, no doubt, but really for a player his caliber, the Lightning have to be thrilled that Stamkos didn’t demand more years or dollars.
On Thursday, Stamkos joined 590 The Fan in Toronto to talk about the new deal and why he was always interested in re-signing with Tampa even at the expense of realizing top dollar on the open market. Basically Stamkos was encouraged by the Lightning’s deep run to the Eastern Conference Finals during this playoffs and truly believes they can get over the hump this next year or two provided they improve in several areas. Stamkos also spoke of keeping the nucleus in tact so that Tampa can make that next step forward. That will certainly be easier because Stamkos won’t be occupying an exorbitant amount of the team’s payroll with his own salary. Win-win for all involved. Take a listen and get a full sense of the negotiations process and what Stamkos believes the future holds for Tampa.