Stamkos posts goodbye message to Lightning, fans on social media
Forward played 1st 16 NHL seasons with Tampa Bay
Steven Stamkos officially confirmed that he won’t be returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning this season.
The captain posted a thank you message to the team and fans on social media on Monday, just a few minutes before free agency officially began.
Thank you Tampa ❤️❤️
I don’t have the words yet ….. I will soon .
It’s still too early to process. Just wanted everyone to know how thankful we are for 16 years as a bolt.
My family and I are excited for the next chapter….
His new team is still undetermined.
In the message, Stamkos thanks Tampa and fans for the 16 years he spent with the team. The forward was selected with the No. 1 pick by the Lightning in 2008 and served as the team captain since 2014. He won the Stanley Cup twice with the Lightning as part of the back-to-back championship teams in 2020 and 2021.
The two-time All-Star has played all 1,082 games of his career so far with the Lightning, scoring 555 goals and recording 582 assists.
