With the strong run they’ve been on over the past few months, eyes are going to be on the Tampa Bay Lightning as the trade deadline approaches. General manager Julien BriseBois typically has something up his sleeve. Assets, such as draft picks, could easily be on the move again if the right deal can be made.
We know they have an interest in a top forward. They tried to make the move for Artemi Panarin. Talks didn’t get too far, but it’s clear they want extra offensive firepower. Perhaps an old friend could be the one who provides a boost.
NHL insider for TSN, Pierre LeBrun, said on Thursday that Steven Stamkos has prepared a list of three teams for which he would lift his no-movement clause at the deadline. He’s happy in Nashville, but he understands that the Predators are in a state of limbo. Just in case, he’s stated that he would want to go, in this ranked order, to the Lightning, the Dallas Stars, and the Minnesota Wild.
It would make sense that if he has to leave, he would prefer to go where he didn’t necessarily want to leave to begin with, above all other options. The Wild and the Stars are two of the top teams in the Western Conference. They make very logical alternatives. If the reunion doesn’t happen, and he still agrees to leave, he might as well boost his chances at a third Stanley Cup.
A reunion between the Lightning and Stamkos is intriguing. He would come back, all while getting to play with his spiritual successor, Jake Guentzel.
While there were times it looked like Stamkos was slowing down, he’s shown lately that he has plenty left in the tank. The issue may be more about what it will take to reacquire him than whether he still makes sense for the Lightning.
Stamkos Looking Like His Old Self
Just looking at his overall numbers, most will agree he’s having a good season. He has 29 goals and 16 assists for 45 points in 58 games. He’s on a season-long pace for 41 goals and 63 points.
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However, it gets even better when you look at the run he’s been on since mid-December. He found the back of the net four times against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 11, and it was the spark for a return to full form. In his last 29 games, he has scored 21 goals and tallied 13 assists for 34 points. That’s a season-long pace of 60 goals and 96 points.
That puts him one point off from his totals from his 2010-11 season, when he won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (NHL leader in goals) and was the runner-up for the Hart Trophy behind Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It would be more than just a move for a name. The Lightning would be getting the production that comes with it.
Is It Doable for the Lightning?
That’s where it gets complicated. The Lightning, infamously, have to walk the hard line of the salary cap. To bring somebody else in, someone else will have to go out, which keeps them compliant.
They have some flexibility. According to PuckPedia, they have about $3.1 million in deadline cap space. They wouldn’t have to move the equivalent of his full cap hit ($8 million) to make a deal happen. While the Lightning could negotiate with the Predators to retain some salary, someone with a solid cap hit would still need to be moved.
An easy candidate is Oliver Bjorkstrand, whose cap hit is $5.4 million. His production has been lackluster this season, but he’s also set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The Predators could agree to take him on for the season since the Lightning would be taking a lot of salary off their books.
The Lightning lack the draft picks. Their next first-round pick is in 2028. They used two of them during the previous deadline to acquire someone who is a candidate to be moved in this hypothetical deal (Bjorkstrand).
It would likely require a mix of second- and third-round picks and a prospect. The Predators would lack some leverage, having only three teams to work with, but that choice of hanging on to him, plus the two more years of control, could still be used to bring in a decent haul.
So, it’s a doable move to bring back Stamkos. Things may have to line up a certain way to make it happen. The Wild or the Stars could have a better offer, and he greenlights the move. The Predators also still have to want to trade him, too.
For now, it remains a fun idea. However, as the trade deadline approaches, all we can do is wait to see if this openness to return to Tampa Bay materializes into anything. Being honest, we know the odds aren’t great. But when there’s a chance that an old continuity can resume once more, it’s hard not to stop and wonder what could be done to make it happen.
