“Marty St. Louis is not going to be traded.” Those were Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman’s own words in response to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun regarding the rumors that have been running rampant over the last week. Among reports and speculation from within the rumor mill, teams like the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins had been mentioned as potential destinations for number twenty-six. Well, you can put those rumors to rest and cross Marty off your deadline wish-list; he’s staying right here in Tampa.
From a hockey perspective, it’s easy to understand why so many teams might have had interest in Martin St. Louis. Simply put – he is one of the best leaders in the game today and a proven winner. On and off the ice, St. Louis can always be counted on. He’s a battler, he’s a superstar, he is one of the league’s most respected individuals, and he is the perfect definition of ‘final piece’. Add to all the intangibles the fact that he is fourth in league scoring with 43 points in 34 games, and it’s really no shock that he was reportedly drawing interest from so many teams.
Around the Twitter-verse, lots of folks seemed to infer that the Lightning would be willing to listen to offers for St. Louis given that the trade market for impact wingers has become almost non-existent. In a matter of days, the Pittsburgh Penguins poached Brenden Morrow and Jarome Iginla out of the Western Conference. With that, the price for a player like Martin St. Louis must have skyrocketed. Steve Yzerman obviously won’t bite.
First of all, as mentioned, St. Louis is still one of the league’s top producers. As Steven Stamkos’s number one playmaker, Marty is one half of the Lightning’s offensive engine. With two years left at $5.625M per on his current contract, St. Louis projects to be a huge part of the Lightning as the team transitions from basement dweller to contending team. The Lightning still view St. Louis as one of the league’s best players, and there’s no reason to think that he can’t be one of the key cogs that powers this machine forward under new head coach Jon Cooper. With all the talent, leadership, and promise laden throughout this franchise, the Bolts should be competitive sooner rather than later.
To sum it up - for so many reasons, trading Marty just never made sense. Under Jon Cooper, the Lightning are committed to being a better and more consistent team. Anyone with half a brain can see that Martin St. Louis will be a big part of that. Ultimately, it’s hard to imagine Martin St. Louis wearing number twenty-six for any team but the Tampa Bay Lightning. In due time, his number will be the first to hang from the rafters of the Tampa Bay Times Forum. He’s a Stanley Cup winner, a fantastic leader, and an offensive force to be reckoned with. Throughout his tenure as a member of the Lightning, he has summed up everything it could ever possibly mean to be a Bolt.
On behalf of Bolts Nation, I’m sure glad he’s staying put. Martin St. Louis, forever a Bolt.
As always, thanks for reading.
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