Arriving in Smashville, Stamkos Eagerly Awaits New Start with Predators: 'The Excitement is Real Now'

On an ordinary summer day at Bridgestone Arena, life moves at a much calmer pace than it did during the weeks and months that came before.

Tuesday, however, was no ordinary day.

His wife Sandra by his side, recently acquired forward Steven Stamkos stepped inside the Nashville Predators front offices for the first time and was met with a raucous ovation from a sea of smiling Smashville employees.

The prolific goal-scorer, who spent 16 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s bolt logo affixed to his chest - 10 of them with the ‘C’ stitched above it - smiled and waved back, a golden Pred Head now proudly emblazoned on his shirt.

“It's different, I'm not going to lie,” Stamkos said at a media availability shortly afterward. “When you're so used to something and you've been ingrained with that color pattern over the years, even when we signed and people did mock ups and Photoshops of me in the jersey, it took a little time to get used to. But, that's normal. That's part of that process, the shock and awe of the first week and letting that play out and then the excitement starts to build and you start pinching yourself. Playing the game in a different atmosphere with the fans and just being an organization that really went out of their way to entice me to come be here, that means a lot to me and my family to have the support and the belief in me as a person as a player and that played into the decision making as well. But I think the more we see the colors and the jerseys and just the overall support that this team has in this city, it's going to feel a lot like our new home pretty quickly.”

Family loomed large in Stamkos’ decision, and the veteran NHLer spent the weeks following his four-year signing with the Predators making sure their transition was as smooth as possible.

“I think as you get in the position that I am at this time in my life, there's much more to consider than just signing with a new team and hoping all goes well,” Stamkos said. “Family is probably the most important factor, and especially when you have young kids and a wife that has to deal with those kids when you're on the road. But we're excited about that opportunity. It's going to be a transition, and it's probably not going to be the easiest transition when you have young kids, and a new school and that sort of thing, but it's something we're willing to work on as a family. We've heard nothing but amazing things about not only the organization here, but the city and about raising kids here and the school system - all those things that come into play when you're trying to make that decision. And we've just been overjoyed with some of the responses that we've received.”

Though the transition is a daunting one, it’s not one Stamkos or his family have had to make alone.

“Luke Schenn and his wife, Jess, have been amazing at helping us get settled in,” Stamkos said. “They've been in constant contact with us. Obviously, the McDonagh situation, we pretty much flip-flopped, but they had amazing things to say about the city and this organization as well. And [Jonathan Marchessault] played with me in Tampa for a little bit, so there's so many different connections and so many familiar faces, even away from the rink too that we've seen, with people coming over from the Lightning organization. And that's always helpful when you're in an unfamiliar situation like we are right now. So, it's been really smooth so far. I'd say after the first week of just digesting everything that went on, the excitement is real now and we're looking forward to making the move.”

Once he officially makes the move, there’ll be hockey to play, goals to score and glittering franchise milestones to accomplish. As Tampa Bay’s all-time leader in goals (555) and points (1,137), Stamkos is eager to get waist deep into Head Coach Andrew Brunette’s fast-paced, offensive-first system.

“The style of play, it’s offensively-minded in the sense where it's not run and gun, it's a system where he wants defensemen to move the puck up to the forwards as quickly as possible and get the puck into some of the skilled players hands, and we kind of go from there. So, when you're looking for a team to go to, you look at the different pieces of the puzzle. And the goaltending the defensemen, the elite forwards - Nashville had all of that. And you throw in the family aspect and all those different things, but from a hockey perspective, I thought that was a really good fit in terms of being able to play with some really skilled players and be on the ice in situations with some really talented defensemen, and I'm looking forward to that.”

Though it’ll be uncertain exactly where Stamkos will be inserted into Nashville’s lineup until the puck drops at 501 Broadway this October, Smashville can safely anticipate seeing Tampa Bay’s all-time leader in power-play goals (214) featured prominently on the Predators’ special teams unit, which finished 16th in the NHL last season.

Stamkos, who led the NHL’s best power play unit with 19 goals last season and recorded double digits in power-play markers in his last seven campaigns, is excited to contribute there, too.  

“That's a part of the game that I really enjoy,” he said. “Special teams is huge, especially in today's game with the amount of opportunities that you get, and you see it, especially come crunch time in the playoffs, where it can win you a series and it can lose you a series. So, the PK and PP are certainly very important. I’ve been in the same spot for a lot of years on the power play and intend to be in that position… I've been pretty blessed to play with some amazing players over the years in Tampa and when we were looking for potential teams, Nashville fit that bill. You look at a guy who's going to have the puck a lot up top in Roman Josi, and I’m just looking forward to playing with guys of his caliber - Forsberg, O’Reilly, Nyquist, Marchessault is here now. There's so many different combinations I think that can be thrown out there, but it’s certainly an area that I'm very comfortable in and hope to have the same type of production.”

Of course, all of it is in pursuit of the same trophy Stamkos has lifted twice before.

Joining a Predators roster primed with four different Stanley Cup Champions, two Conn Smythe Trophy winners and plenty of promising young talent, Stamkos is confident his new team has enough to turn heads come springtime in Music City.

“We want to win a Stanley Cup,” Stamkos said. “That's why we play the game, and I think some people are sometimes afraid to say that and it heightens expectations. But at the end of the day, I've always been a big believer that you have to believe that you can do it in order to achieve it… So, the expectation will be to make the playoffs and go on a run and I think that's a pretty fair assessment of what this group can accomplish.”