Top Free-Agent Landing Spots for Lightning Captain Steven Stamkos

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And just like that, it's the offseason for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The recent two-time Stanley Cup champions had their latest bid for another parade snuffed out on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena, where they lost 6-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their Atlantic Division semifinal series.

The result completed a first-round win for the Panthers as they continue a quest for a second straight appearance in the title round, and it abruptly kick-started what could be a particularly eventful summer for the Lightning.

High on the agenda is dealing with a handful of imminent free agents, and no one's status is higher profile than that of Steven Stamkos, who's been the face of the franchise since it made him the No. 1 overall pick at the 2008 draft and yielded 1,137 points in 1,082 games.

The 34-year-old is in the final throes of an eight-year, $68 million contract he signed in 2016 and has been unable to agree to terms on a new deal.

The B/R hockey team has compiled a list of top landing spots for the two-time Cup winner and league goal-scoring champ. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought or two of your own in the comments.

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OK, let's lead off with the happy ending.

For sentiment's sake, it's no stretch to suggest all parties would prefer a career that started on Florida's Gulf Coast ends there as well.

Though Stamkos was ultimately a point-per-game player for the 12th time after producing 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games, there was no great urgency to address the situation during the regular season and it's obviously not been a concern as the playoffs approached.

So, while this is the time general manager Julien BriseBois has to exclusively work to get something done with the 34-year-old and his representatives, nothing said so far suggests it's a slam dunk.

Maybe BriseBois is secretly hoping to free up the huge chunk of cash that would become available if Stamkos exits. Or maybe he's being patient and crunching all the numbers to see how the long-term captain can fit into the scheme.

"We're going to sit down and we're going to evaluate where we are as a team and where Steven is," BriseBois told reporters in January, "and we'll see how we can make all the parts work together. My job is to try to build the team that has the greatest odds of winning a Stanley Cup.

"So it's never (about) one thing, it's always about the collective."

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Sometimes, everyone gets what they want.

And if Stamkos chooses to ditch the west coast of Florida for the west coast of California, he'll get a bagful of money from GM Pat Verbeek and the Anaheim Ducks.

Imagine that scenario.

The player gets the cash he felt he deserved from his former team and the Ducks get the sort of legit, albeit aging, superstar who can reinvigorate the franchise (and perhaps attract other high-profile players) after several years of dwelling near the overall basement.

They will also get a prolific top-six forward with leadership street cred.

The Ducks are swimming in cap space and former Lightning winger Alex Killorn, who played with Stamkos for 11 seasons before signing a four-year, $25 million contract at Disney West last summer, has already gone on record saying he'd try to sway his pal to come visit.

"We've got cap space in Anaheim," he told The Athletic, "so I'll be recruiting him if they decide not to re-sign him."

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Stamkos has gotten used to a certain level of winning.

So, while the Ducks may be unlikely due to a lack of recent success, they're not the only lower-tier team that may have a chance to catch the 11-time playoff participant's eye.

It can be argued that the Chicago Blackhawks have even more going for them.

Though fans in the Windy City saw only 23 wins in 82 games in 2023-24, there's an uber-attractive piece in Calder Trophy lock Connor Bedard, more than $30 million in projected summertime cap space and the second-best chance to land another No. 1 overall pick.

And even if their ball doesn't come up on lottery day, they'll still get another player with a chance to make some sort of impact in the 2024-25 season.

Put it all together and it could be a good fit for Stamkos to come in and work with a generational talent while cashing the sort of potentially overpaid check that GM Kyle Davidson will have to ensure his balance is big enough to cover.

Win-win for Stammer.

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The Panthers struck a significant blow for their side of the Sunshine State rivalry with the series victory—their first in three tries after losses in 2021 (six games) and 2022 (four games)—but it would be a mere hors d'oeuvres to a bold summertime play: signing Stamkos.

Grabbing the Lightning captain and luring him 250 miles to the southeast for a spot on a team that went to the Cup Final last spring and is perhaps on the way there again is the sort of move that'd resonate in the southernmost hockey community for years.

Just imagine the sight of Stamkos accepting the chalice from a celebrating teammate and parading it around Amerant Bank Arena while wearing No. 91 in navy blue, red and tan.

Boggles the stick-wielding mind, no?

The Panthers have more than $20 million in cap space for the 2024-25 season thanks to several salaries coming off the books. And if Florida loses center Sam Reinhart, it would need to bring in a still-productive top-sixer with locker room presence.

"If (the Lightning) allow a player like that to go to market, if you are the Florida Panthers who after this season have a lot of salary come off the books, you can offer the same financial incentives that Tampa can, last time I checked they play in the same state."

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Whaddya know, y'all? It's another stop on the "Stamkos Leaves Tampa and Joins Up with Some Old Buddies Tour."

This time, it'll bring the sure-fire Hall of Famer to the (again) non-traditional hockey market of Tennessee, where the Nashville Predators would be another intriguing destination.

GM Barry Trotz has nearly $20 million in cap space to work with as he heads toward the 2024-25 season with three forwards set to come off the books, which means he'll have the financial wherewithal to bring in Stamkos to augment the offense and help second-year coach Andrew Brunette establish a winning culture.

Brunette lost an interim gig with the Panthers after Stamkos and the Lightning swept them in the second round of the 2022 playoffs, and he resurfaced with the Predators at the start of 2023-24, guiding them to a 99-point season and a first-round date with Vancouver.

An arrival in the Volunteer State would also mean a reunion with former Tampa teammates Ryan McDonagh (2018-22) and Luke Schenn (2019-21). McDonagh was dealt to Nashville after the run to the 2022 finals and is signed through 2026, and Schenn is there for the same term after post-Lightning stops with the Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.