Huge Rumor Regarding Steven Stamkos and his Future in Tampa Bay

According to Darren Dreger of TSN questions surrounding the future of Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay have once again surfaced as teams appear to be calling the Lightning about his availability.

Dreger on TSN1050: "Starting to hear the whispers again of the future of their captain Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay."
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) July 12, 2021

The team is in absolute cap hell as it's been well documented they played the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a roster that was $18 million over the cap. Initial thought was the team would be looking to move the likes of Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn, Yanni Gourde, and Ondrej Palat, however Stamkos' name has now surfaced as a legit candidate to get moved.

The kicker here for the Lightning is the fact both Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow are pending free agents and going to be receiving hefty raises on their respected contracts. Ideally the Lightning would like to re-sign both players as they were integral to the team winning back-to-back Cups. The Lightning also showed during their first Cup title, they have enough talent to win without Stamkos, as he missed most of the playoffs due to injury.

If Stamkos is indeed legitimately available for the right price, expect almost every team in the league to have a certain level of interest with the likes of the Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, and Colorado Avalanche being near the top of the list. Don't expect Tampa to trade Stamkos within their conference, so we can cross off any teams from the east.

Another team to watch is the Anaheim Ducks as Stamkos would be the perfect replacement for Ryan Getzlaf. Buckle up for one of the wildest months of movement in NHL history!