Stamkos ‘disappointed’ in lack of contract talks with Lightning 

Steven Stamkos expressed frustration that the Tampa Bay Lightning have yet to begin talks with him about a new contract.

"To be honest, I’ve been disappointed in the lack of talk in that regard,” Stamkos said Wednesday, the first day of Lightning training camp. “It was something that I expressed at the end of last year that I wanted to get something done before training camp started. There haven’t been any conversations.”

The 33-year-old forward is entering the final season of an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) he signed June 29, 2016, and can become an unrestricted free agent when it expires. But general manager Julien BriseBois said he will wait until after the season to negotiate a new contract with Stamkos, so he has a better idea of the Lightning's NHL salary cap situation and where certain players, including Stamkos, fit into that structure.

"I need to see how this season plays out," BriseBois said. "I need to see how the pieces of the puzzle fit this year. I need to see who steps up and is able to handle a bigger role. I need to see how the team performs. After the season, I will have gathered that information and then I'll be in a better position to have a clearer picture of what our puzzle looks like going forward, what roster needs we might have and then how to allocate our cap space in order to build the best roster possible for not only for Steven to remain with the Lightning, but for us to stay Stanley Cup contenders year in and year out for the remainder of his tenure with us and hopefully bring the cup back to Tampa."

Stamkos spoke with other teams before signing in 2016, but said he isn't interested in exploring the unrestricted free agent market at this time.

"I stated at the end of last year too I would love to extend and play here and finish out my career here, but that's out of my hands," Stamkos said. "I can't write the contract myself."

BriseBois also wants Stamkos to finish his career with the Lightning, but the forward will have to remain patient.

"I think it would be great for the organization if Steven could spend his entire career with the Lightning," BriseBois said. "That's in everyone's best interest. At the same time, it's not just about Steven playing out his career in Tampa. It's about Steven staying in Tampa and the Lightning remaining a legitimate Stanley Cup contender year in and year out for the remainder of his tenure as a player on the club."

The captain of the Lightning since March 6, 2014, Stamkos is beginning his 16th NHL season, all for Tampa Bay, which selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft.

He is Tampa Bay’s all-time leader in regular-season goals (515), power-play goals (195), game-winning goals (79) and points (1,056), and is second in assists (541), behind Martin St. Louis (588), and second in games (1,003), behind Vincent Lecavalier (1,037). Stamkos is third in Lightning history in Stanley Cup Playoff goals (45), assists (50) and points (95), and won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021.

Stamkos had 84 points (34 goals, 50 assists) in 81 regular-season games and four points (two goals, two assists) in six playoff games last season, when Tampa Bay lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference First Round after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in three consecutive seasons.

Stamkos said he’s willing to negotiate during the season, but it appears he will have to play it out on an expiring contract. BriseBois said he understands why Stamkos would prefer to have his future with the Lightning settled now.

"I know where he's coming from," BriseBois said. "I know it would have been a lot easier for him to have a contract in place. But in the grand scheme of things, I think this is the right course of action at this point."

NHL.com independent correspondent Corey Long contributed to this report