Steven Stamkos Won't Discuss Lightning's Lowball Contract Offer

Steven Stamkos is one of the NHL’s most potent offensive weapons and an impending free agent. While his agent and the Tampa Bay Lightning are still in talks concerning a contract extension, the prospects for a deal are not looking good after the team’s most recent offer.

Tampa Bay reportedly offered Stamkos an eight-year, $68 million deal, and the 25-year-old doesn’t exactly seem thrilled about it. Stamkos claims he won’t discuss the offer or any other contract talks publicly and it’s not hard to understand why. The Los Angeles Kings recently handed franchise center Anze Kopitar an eight-year, $80 million extension and he’s three years older than the Lightning’s captain.

Kopitar and Jonathan Toews are likely the two best all-around players in the NHL, while Stamkos is purely a scoring machine and that could hold him back a little. That said, the Lightning took him with the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft and he’s rewarded them by racking up 296 goals and 535 points during his eight years in the league. While his numbers are a bit off this season (20 goals, 17 assists in 48 games), Stamkos is a four-time All-Star and has won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal-scorer twice. He’s the face of Tampa Bay’s franchise and losing him would be a public relations nightmare.

The Lightning have a young, talented roster and can offer Stamkos eight years, while he can only get seven as a free agent, so it’s not like they’re an unattractive option. But it’s not hard to see Stamkos getting $10 million or more per year on the open market. The Lightning absolutely have to get a deal done and I expect them to talk with Stamkos’ reps during the upcoming All-Star break.

We all know it’s going to take more than $8.5 million a year to get Stamkos to sign on for eight more years, but the Lightning have to be willing to offer that much. So far they haven’t and that should make fans nervous as the season creeps along.