Speaking on Wednesday at a Coca-Cola promotional event, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos didn’t exactly squash speculation about him wanting to join his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016.
Less than two weeks after
favorite-gate, Stamkos was asked about the potential of him ‘pulling a LeBron’ and going home when he hits free agency. His response, as transcribed by Stephen Whyno of
The Canadian Press, was predictably coy.
“We’ll see what happens. It’s a couple years away,” Stamkos said Wednesday. “Right now I’m focused on what I have to do to win in Tampa, and I think we’ve really established ourselves as a team that can compete in upcoming years.
“For me, that’s the important thing is getting a chance to win. It looks like we’re going to have that chance for a couple years.”
I think it’s probably safe to say that that is not quite what Bolts fans would like to hear at this juncture. “We’ll see what happens,” is the kind of statement that leaves a lot of questions.
Does he want to leave Tampa? Does he really want to join the Maple Leafs? That door isn’t closed.
But there’s a flip side.
What Tampa fans can take solace in is the fact that Stamkos noted that his desire is to win. You won’t find too many people in hockey who believe that the Toronto Maple Leafs are closer to competing for a championship than the Lightning. And, honestly, it’s hard to see that changing over the next two years.
As Stamkos points out in that Whyno piece, Tampa has a committed owner, a great General Manager, and a good young core that will only continue to grow. If his decision comes down to hockey reasons, I like Tampa’s chances to come out on top in the battle to sign the best Canadian goal scorer in the game.
If winning is his number one priority, it’s hard to argue that Tampa isn’t a good spot for him. While some, including The Hockey News’s Adam Proteau, have openly reported and speculated that Stamkos might have interest in the Maple Leafs, the reality is that Stamkos is two years away from being able to make that choice.
Does playing at home interest Stamkos? He did say that he loves playing in big hockey markets, and specifically Toronto. Does he want to be ‘the guy’ in the center of the hockey universe? Nothing suggests that he wouldn’t handle the pressure with style. Does being closer to family and friends mean a lot to him? It just might.
The point is that none of us knows whether he values those things more or less than winning a championship. I don’t know how much or how little Stamkos values those things. You don’t know how much or how little Stamkos values those things. Only Stamkos knows. All we know is that he’s stated his desire to win a championship, and that he wants it to happen in Tampa.
Like I said in that original blog on this topic, there are many legitimate reasons that could attract Stamkos to Toronto. There are also countless great reasons that could convince him to sign a long-term deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Why would he close the door on either opportunity, or any opportunity for that matter? His comments on Wednesday were just par for the course. We can probably expect a bunch more over the next two years.
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As always, thanks for reading.
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