Steve Yzerman doesn’t really have much to worry about this summer. His only pending unrestricted free agent is Brenden Morrow. His players just came off a great run to the Stanley Cup Final. And there is a growing belief that his group has the potential to get back to the top next season.
So, it’s not really a surprise that Yzerman is already looking to the future. At a media availability session on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Lightning GM indicated that signing Steven Stamkos to a contract extension is his number one priority for Summer 2015.
Stamkos, of course, is eligible to hit unrestricted free agency on July 1, 2016. He is under contract for the upcoming season, but his future beyond that is an unknown. While many were quick to criticize his performance during the playoffs (criticism that is largely unwarranted, in my opinion), the fact remains that he is a key cog in the Lightning’s machine. The team should absolutely do everything it can to keep Number-91 in Bolts blue for the foreseeable future.
News that Yzerman wants to sign Stamkos and that it’s his big priority for the summer isn’t really news at all. In fact, it’s expected. The opposite would have been quite the story, though.
The reason this story seems to be getting so much traction, however, is because there were reports of friction between Lightning coach Jon Cooper and the team captain during the Stanley Cup Final. CBC’s Don Cherry even went on a master rant about Stamkos’s ice time, and how it might affect the Lightning’s ability to re-sign him. Unexpectedly, the Lightning captain shot back at Cherry:
Stamkos on Don Cherry's comments. "Everyone is entitled to their opinion. everyone in here knows what goes on. There's no issues in here"
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) June 17, 2015Stamkos knows it could be a distraction if deal not done by next season, but not worried. "I want to win a championship with this group."
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) June 17, 2015As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter.