NHL Rumors: Steven Stamkos, Predators Agree to $32M Contract After Lightning Run

After 16 seasons and two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Steven Stamkos is leaving for Nashville.

Steven Stamkos signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Nashville Predators in free agency, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Stamkos took to social media on Monday to share a message to Tampa:

Stamkos previously expressed frustration that the Lightning had not begun contract negotiations before the 2023-24 season, per NHL.com's Corey Long.

Stamkos' agent told TSN's Pierre LeBrun on June 28 that Stamkos planned to hit free agency on July 1. Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois confirmed the news the following day, per NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin.

Unlike in 2016, when the Lightning signed Stamkos to a long-term deal two days before free agency, the parties were not able to compromise before he hit the open market.

Stamkos will now join the Predators after recording 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games last season.

The campaign marked his sixth point-per-game season in seven years, as well as the seventh 40-goal season of his career.

Stamkos' previous eight-year, $68 million deal with the Lightning expired following the team's five-game elimination by the Florida Panthers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. The Lightning captain led his team with five goals in five games during the first-round series.

The 34-year-old sharpshooter is sure to be a huge boost to Nashville's offense.

Stamkos was a key part of the reason the Lightning finished the regular season with the most effective power play in the NHL. He recorded 39 of his points (19 goals, 20 assists) on the man advantage thanks to his lethal one-timer.

That shot is one of the reasons Stamkos has been able to establish himself as one of the most prolific scorers in NHL history during his first 17 seasons with the Lightning.

Stamkos finished the 2023-24 season as one of six active NHL players with more than 1,100 career points. He trails only the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby as the league's most prolific active scorer with 555 career goals.

Stamkos entered the league with the Lightning as the No. 1 pick of the 2008 draft and has since skated in 1,082 regular-season and 128 playoff games for Tampa Bay.

Although his jersey will certainly be retired someday by the Lightning, Stamkos could become part of another franchise's history by helping lead Nashville on a playoff run in 2025.