There’s been a ton of talk over the last few weeks about Steven Stamkos’s contract situation with the Tampa Bay Lightning. With less than one calendar year until he is scheduled to hit the free agent waters, the Captain has been eligible to sign an extension with the team since July 1st of this year. Lots of fans have been left to wonder: Why on earth hasn’t he signed yet?
SPOILER: This blog isn’t going to answer that question. We don't know what's happening behind the scenes, but we all know what’s up with Stamkos on the ice. He’s a perennial 40-goal scorer who has the potential to reach 50 or even 60 tallies in any given year. There aren’t many people in the NHL who can light the lamp like Tampa’s Number-91. That sort of virtually unparalleled production warrants a big-dollar contract. He’s the team captain. He’s the emotional leader. He’s the face of the franchise. He really is EVERYTHING right about the Tampa Bay Lightning today.
I’ve written so much about this player since I started working here at HockeyBuzz, so my thoughts on him are well documented. I think he’s phenomenal. I think he’s unique. And, in addition to being one of the best players on the planet, I think he’s a wonderful ambassador for the game of hockey. Yes, I’m biased. Sue me.
So, Stamkos is rightfully dominating the Tampa hockey headlines these days. But, Lightning GM Steve Yzerman will have another big fish to fry quite soon. Victor Hedman’s contract is up in two seasons, and he’ll be in need of a massive deal just like Stamkos.
I don’t need to spend a lot of time pumping Hedman’s tires. Every reader here knows how dominant he has been for the Lightning over the last handful of seasons. Very few defensemen in the National Hockey League bring what he brings on a nightly basis. His play during the postseason gave him the national attention he definitely deserves, and helped to put him in that elusive “top-five” conversation.
The bottom line is that 29 other teams in the league would love Victor Hedman on their roster. And that means the price to extend him will be sky high.
Yzerman did a marvellous job when he signed Hedman to a five-year, $20-million deal a few seasons ago. It has kept a Norris-caliber defender on the roster for a relatively small sum (in hockey terms) of $4-million per season. While some top defenders around the league are being paid about double that amount, Hedman has been clocking in at an hourly rate that has given the team a ton of cap flexibility. That’s going to change in a year or two, when Hedman signs a contract that will likely wind up somewhere in that super expensive neighborhood.
Hedman truly is a big fish in the NHL. In Tampa, it’s not just the Stamkos show anymore.
And while a lot of people have been quick to frame their discussions of the Lightning’s cap situation around Steven Stamkos’s next contract, I’ve started framing mine around Hedman’s. Number-one defensemen are nearly impossible to find. They don’t make it to free agency. They don’t show up in trade talks. Teams draft and hold them for good reason. They are to NHL teams what quarterbacks are to NFL teams; Hedman pushes the (fully inflated) puck up ice just like Tom Brady moves the ball up field.
In simple terms, the Lightning have an asset in Hedman that is nearly impossible to acquire or replace. That makes him very, very valuable. If keeping him means losing someone else (a scoring forward, perhaps), I make that tradeoff seven days per week and twice on Sunday. If keeping him means the team is shallow up front for a season or two, that’s just fine with me. Retaining Hedman through his prime years is of the utmost importance for this franchise. And that’s why, in my head, the cap situation starts with him.
Now it’s your turn to make a decision.
I’ve written extensively about the team’s cap situation and how it should be possible to keep the core pieces together in the coming years, but let’s envision some alternate reality for a moment. Imagine keeping Hedman in two years means losing Stamkos now, and imagine that signing Stamkos now means losing Hedman in two years. Who do you choose? Do you take the 40-plus-goal guy who has really been the face of the franchise’s return to respectability, or do you take the quiet, number-one defender who goes about his business without much excitement? It’s an incredibly tough question, but your answer to it likely frames how you see the team’s cap situation in your head. I’m curious to see the results.
Does the cap situation start with Stamkos or Hedman?
As 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.
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