Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman effectively put an end to any Steven Stamkos trade rumors earlier this week when he released a statement stating that he will not move his star player before the NHL’s trade deadline on February 29.
“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,” Yzerman said in the release.
Despite a continuous stream of rumors this season around the status of Stamkos’ contract negotiations and where he will be playing next season, Stamkos himself has reiterated on multiple occasions that he wishes to stay in Tampa Bay with the team that drafted him first overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
“I want to win with Tampa,” Stamkos told ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun during the All Star break. “I don’t think that’s going to change between now and 30 days from now (at the trade deadline).”
Stamkos is in the final year of a deal worth an average of $7.5 million per season. However, he could be in for a raise to upwards of $10 million per season—putting him on par with other elite players like Anze Kopitar, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews who have all signed similar contracts in the last year or so.
“I will keep the negotiating process strictly between the involved parties and have no further comment on the state of those negotiations,” Yzerman said in the release.
