Legend Steven Stamkos Won't Be Traded by Lightning at Deadline amid NHL Rumors

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois insisted Tuesday that superstar forward and team captain Steven Stamkos will not be dealt before the March 8 trade deadline.

According to Joe Smith of The Athletic, BriseBois said: "Steven Stamkos is not getting traded so we can put that one to bed. That is not going to change between now and the deadline under any circumstances."

Stamkos is currently set to become a free agent at the end of the season, and while BriseBois said he envisions Stamkos on the team beyond this season, he also noted that negotiations for a new contract won't continue until the offseason, per Smith.

During an episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast last month, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said teams were "going to call" the Lightning and inquire about Stamkos' availability.

Stamkos, 33, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NHL draft, and he has spent his entire 16-year NHL career with the Lightning.

Born in Markham, Ontario, Canada, Stamkos has gone on to become one of the best and most accomplished players of his generation.

Stamkos is a seven-time All-Star, a two-time winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer and a two-time Stanley Cup champion.

Entering play Tuesday, Stamkos had 533 goals and 564 assists for 1,097 points in 1,044 career regular-season games to his credit. That ranks him first in Lightning history in goals and points, and second in assists behind only Martin St. Louis.

Even as he quickly approaches two decades in the NHL, the future Hall of Famer remains a highly productive player.

Two seasons ago, Stamkos scored 42 goals and had a career-high 106 points. He followed that up last season with 34 goals and 50 assists for 84 points.

Stamkos is on a point-per-game pace this season, recording 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points in 41 contests.

Even so, Stamkos hasn't quite performed to his usual level, as he has a minus-20 rating, which is on pace to be the worst plus/minus rating of his entire NHL career.

The Lightning have also fallen below expectations as a team, as their 49 points have them tied with the Detroit Red Wings for fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division.

Still, the Bolts are just one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the third and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, and they hold the second and final wild-card spot in the East.

Tampa Bay is a supremely talented and veteran-laden team led by the likes of forwards Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, defenseman Viktor Hedman and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Because of that, the Lightning are far more likely to add than subtract at the trade deadline in hopes of making one more run at the Cup.

That could result in the Lightning losing Stamkos for nothing in free agency during the offseason, but he is likely more valuable to them as part of a playoff run than as a trade chip.