Martin St. Louis is happy that Steven Stamkos decided to abandon Tampa Bay
Photo credit: TSN
Martin St. Louis said he knows exactly what Steven Stamkos was going through during free agency when he decided to say goodbye to Tampa Bay.
St. Louis is the current coach of the Montreal Canadiens, and strongly believes that this move will be better for Stamkos than had he stayed with the Lightning, as it will educate him on different fans, a different style, and a different city that the NHL has to offer. Stamkos signed a four-year, $32 million contract with Nashville on July 1st.
Martin St. Louis said he spoke to Steven Stamkos about leaving Tampa Bay following Stamkos signing in Nashville.
«He's going to look back on his career and I think he's going to be happy that he experienced something else.»
«He's going to look back on his career and I think he's going to be happy that he experienced something else.»
St. Louis experienced a similar move about a decade ago, when he was traded from the Lightning to the New York Rangers. There is one major difference between the two however, as St. Louis requested a trade, whereas Stamkos actually expressed a desire to remain in Tampa.
Lightning GM Julien Brisebois said that due to how close to the cap his team was, he would be unable to allocate a huge portion of funds to Stamkos, as it would deter them from the long-term direction the club has going forward, and greatly impact their chances at winning a Stanley Cup. For this reason, Stamkos decided to walk and sign with the Preds.
Everyone will definitely be tuning in next season when Nashville faces Tampa Bay for the first time. Get your popcorn ready.
| POLL | ||
26 JUILLET | 108 ANSWERS Martin St. Louis is happy that Steven Stamkos decided to abandon Tampa Bay Should Tampa Bay have done whatever it takes to re-sign Stamkos? | ||
| Yes | 69 | 63.9 % |
| No | 39 | 36.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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