Finally, no -- mercifully, this storyline can be put to rest. The Tampa Bay Lightning are not trading captain Steven Stamkos out of town before the Feb. 29 trade deadline.

From Lightning general manager and vice president Steve Yzerman:

“As February 29th approaches, I am stating today that Steven Stamkos will not be traded before the NHL’s trade deadline,” Yzerman said in a statement released by the organization on Monday afternoon. “I have said repeatedly that it is our hope to reach an agreement with Steven on a new contract at some point, and with 27 games remaining in the season, our entire organization, Steven included, wants to focus on making the playoffs. I will keep the negotiating process strictly between the involved parties and have no further comment on the state of those negotiations.”

This one seemed obvious. With the Bolts just six points away from the first place Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division (and with a game in hand on the ‘Cats), the division is still very much within Tampa Bay’s grasp, and a trade involving your best player -- no matter the return coming back the other way -- would really only limit the Bolts’ chances at both the division and the Stanley Cup this spring.

Stamkos’ future in town is still very much up in the air, though we know that the Bolts came at him with an offer worth around $8.5 million for the next eight seasons, but that’s one of those situations that Yzerman has obviously decided to worry about when it becomes the right time. (This is similar to the friendly ‘we’ll see’ Stamkos has often peddled when pressed about his future in town, too.)

But what does Yzerman’s decision not to trade No. 91 mean for the Lightning right now?

Quite simply, it means they’re all in on this season. The Lightning have had their shares of injuries (Jason Garrison’s lower-body injury has pressed veteran Matt Carle back into the lineup) and struggles this season, their current stretch that’s seen them drop three of their last four and fall to within one point of being on the outside looking in is the latest example, but opting to keep Stamkos in hopes of both winning this season and hammering out a long-term extension speaks to the faith Yzerman and the front office have in the roster they’ve built. Rightfully so, too.

Tampa Bay’s biggest need still comes back to the point, where they’ve longed for a top-four defenseman with a right-handed shot. That’s where a guy like St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk comes back into the picture for Yzerman and company, too. Rob DiMaio, the Blues’ Director of Player Personnel, has been following the Lightning around for nearly a month.

DiMaio’s presence was originally believed to be centered around Jonathan Drouin (a player the Blues have liked quite a lot), but even with Drouin demoted and ultimately quitting on the organization to go back home to Quebec, DiMaio has remained a lurking presence at any Lightning game.

The 27-year-old Shattenkirk, under contract through next season at a $4.25 million cap-hit, has scored nine goals and 28 points in 48 games for the Blues this season. That includes a Sunday night showing against Tampa Bay that included two shots, three hits, and a plus-1 rating in 24:07 of time on ice.

With nifty roster maneuvering and long-term injured reserve space, the Lightning have positioned themselves to add a player with a near $9 million cap-hit player to their books before the deadline.

So, the cost of Shattenkirk, at least financially, will not be a major issue for Tampa Bay, especially with Braydon Coburn’s $4.5 million off the books this summer. Shattenkirk’s contract could make things trickier for Yzerman when it comes to re-signing key pieces -- such as Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Vlad Namestnikov, and even J.T. Brown -- but it would undoubtedly fill the Bolts’ biggest need. And that’s the main thing to be addressed if the Bolts are truly all in on this season.

Which, with Stamkos hanging around on into March, they absolutely are.

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