NHL Free Agency: Will Steven Stamkos Leave Small-Market Team Like LeBron James?

The Tampa Bay Lightning are currently working toward re-signing 21-year-old forward Steven Stamkos, who may be the best young player in the NHL and has scored 96 goals over the past two seasons.

Stamkos, who is currently a restricted free agent, was a major reason the Lightning were just one win shy of reaching the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, and he will be the biggest reason for the franchise's future success.

However, we are now two weeks into NHL free agency, and Stamkos is still an RFA with no long-term contract.

Would he really leave the small market of Tampa Bay, which isn’t a typical hockey market and leave them out to dry in favor of a major hockey market such as Philadelphia, Boston or Toronto?

We saw how NBA superstar LeBron James’ decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat last summer affected his public image, and Stamkos wouldn’t want that.

Like James, Stamkos is the face of his franchise and a major reason his team is successful on and off the ice.

Now of course, Stamkos isn’t LeBron, and he’s not as arrogant or “unclutch” as LeBron is, but he is loved in Tampa.

Cleveland fans adored James when he was carrying them deep into the playoffs year after year, and Lightning fans are equally excited to have Stamkos lead them to the franchise’s second Stanley Cup win someday.

While angering his loyal fans by departing from Tampa would be an issue for Stamkos if he chose to leave, his possible exit creates a bigger problem for hockey, one that the NBA is currently dealing with.

The problem is players wanting to go to big market teams via trade or in free agency and leaving small markets to rebuild again.

James’ awful exit from Cleveland left them fighting for the first pick in the 2011 NBA Draft instead of contending for a championship.

While Tampa would not be fighting for the top draft selection if they lost Stamkos, they certainly wouldn’t be a title contending team, but with Stamkos they are certainly a championship caliber squad.

The NHL’s hard salary cap makes teams think twice before handing out large contracts, and this is probably one reason that no outside team has offered Stamkos a contract.

Even though at 21 years old he could be the best offensive player in the game, signing any player to a decade-long contract is a massive risk. A lot can happen in 10 years.

But for a team with little fans outside of Tampa, and a roster capable of competing for the Stanley Cup right now, there is no reason not to sign Stamkos long-term.

His presence on the ice is felt by all the goals he scores for the Lightning, but the marketing and revenue he brings in off the ice helps the franchise tremendously.

Stamkos will be on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 12, an annual award-winning hockey game. Him being on the cover would help the Lightning gain recognition and help sell jerseys.

According to an April 2011 CNBC story, LeBron James had the top selling jersey for the 2010-11 NBA season.

Think of all the revenue the Cavaliers missed out on with James switching teams last summer. With jerseys costing an arm and a leg nowadays, sales from these items and other player memorabilia can really help a franchise, especially a small market one like Tampa Bay and Cleveland, make money.

During the stoppages of play during hockey games, NHL jerseys get more exposure than in any other sport. There is lots of money to be made in jersey sales for the Lightning by re-signing Stamkos.

But jersey sales aren’t the only off-ice revenue Stamkos would contribute to, ticket sales would be another steady source of revenue for Tampa if they extended Stamkos’ contract long-term.

Nothing makes fans want to buy tickets more than when the team makes a strong effort to build a consistent winner and be competitive for many years.

If the team makes a commitment to winning, the fans will admire that and do their own part to help the team.

Stamkos can be like LeBron James, and ditch his small market in favor of a larger market with a lot of money to spend and passionate fans.

But I doubt Stamkos will do that. He enjoys playing with the Lightning, and they are set up to contend in the Eastern Conference for many seasons to come.

The NHL needs small market teams to thrive in order to grow and promote the game of hockey outside of the traditional hockey markets, and Stamkos has a massive opportunity to grow the sport in the state of Florida if he re-signs with Tampa Bay.

During the on-going Steven Stamkos contract negotiations, not only are the Lightning fans hoping he stays in Florida, but the NHL should hope he stays put as well.

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report, and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston. Follow him on Twitter for NHL news and analysis.