3 reasons why Steven Stamkos should avoid extending his contract with the Lightning

Longtime captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning Steven Stamkos has been the topic of conversation around the NHL all season. That is especially true now that his team has been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Florida Panthers.

With Steven Stamkos' contract expiring and the two-time Stanley Cup winner expected to become an unrestricted free agent, there is plenty to talk about.

Most of the conversation has been about how obvious it is to bring him back and how much he wants to stay in the only city he knows as an NHL player. But what about the reasons not to come back?

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3 reasons that Steven Stamkos should not re-sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning

#1 He will be a hot-ticket item on the open market

There is no doubt that Steven Stamkos will be a sought-after player if he decides to go into free agency.

The Lightning captain has racked up 1,137 points (555 goals, 582 assists) and a plus-46 rating over 16 seasons, all with Tampa Bay.

And the forward is still a productive player at 34 years old. Stamkos tallied 40 goals for the sixth time in 2023-24 and added six points (five goals, one assist) in six playoff games.

#2 Tampa Bay is going the wrong direction

The Tampa Bay Lightning were so good for so long. But now, it is catching up to them.

Following two Stanley Cups and a third straight appearance in the Final, the Bolts were forced to move some key pieces in order to stay within the salary cap. Largely because of that, Tampa Bay has lost in the first round of the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

Expect both of those trends to continue for a team that is likely heading toward at least a partial rebuild.

#3 He wants to win another Stanley Cup

As mentioned above, there are many better teams to join in order to win a Stanley Cup.

Stamkos has maybe three or four years left in the tank, assuming he does not go full Jaromir Jagr or Joe Pavelski and play forever. That means that whichever team he signs with would need to be capable of winning a cup by 2027.

No one should ever doubt the Lightning. They have proven again and again that they are capable of overcoming adversity and doubt. How could you not with Andrei Vasilevskiy in between the pipes?

But I don't think they are going to be raising the cup in the next few seasons, something that Steven Stamkos will likely be thinking about when he makes his decision.