Agent for Steven Stamkos drops major news about the Tampa Bay Lightning captain

At 34-years-old, the two-time Stanley Cup Champion and captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Steven Stamkos appears to be turning the chapter and continuing his NHL career somewhere else. Stamkos' agent Don Meehan met with Lightning GM Julien BriseBois the past couple of days in the hopes of getting a deal done. Unfortunately, nothing positive materialized and this afternoon, Meehan released a statement about Stamkos' future with the Bolts.

While there was hope from both sides to get a deal done, it shouldn't really come as a surprise given the public frustration shown by Stamkos during training camp that there had not been any extension talks at the time.

The Markham, Ontario native has a projected contract of 3 years and $8.4M annually according to Evolving Hockey, which is far too rich for the Lightning, who have just $5M in cap space with a handful of roster spots to fill. The 2008 first-overall pick has spent his entire career with Tampa so far where he holds franchise records for goal (555) and points (1137) in 16 seasons and is coming off of his second 40-goal season in three years. There will surely be a number of suitors for Stamkos, but wherever he lands, it will be weird to see him wearing another jersey.

Source: Sportsnet
Steven Stamkos - Player Profile