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Steven Stamkos reveals why he left Lighting for Predators


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Marvin Azrak
July 1, 2024  (3:02 PM)
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Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
Photo credit: Yahoo Sports

The Tampa Bay Lightning made a surprising move on Monday by letting their long-time captain Steven Stamkos walk in NHL Free Agency.

Stamkos has since signed a new four-year deal with the Nashville Predators, leaving many fans wondering why things fell apart with the team he spent 16 seasons with and won two Stanley cups.
Following his contract signing, Stamkos shared that the past few days have been emotionally challenging for him.
It's been a rollercoaster of emotions. There's so much amazing history in Tampa for my family and I, and we tried to work something out there, but we fell short.
Stamkos emphasized that he tried hard to reach an agreement with the Lightning. But once it became clear his future was no longer in Tampa Bay, he started considering other options.
He held out hope that he and the Lightning would find a way to come together on a new deal, but it didn't happen.
You always think something is gonna work out, but this morning when I woke up, we knew we were gonna make a decision to be somewhere else.
It seems Nashville was always a strong contender for Stamkos, ticking a lot of boxes for his family.
Every time we were looking for things that would interest us in a new team, Nashville kept popping up. I'm thankful they had mutual interest, and we were able to get something done.
Though leaving Tampa was tough, Stamkos felt relieved once he committed to Nashville.
As crazy as it's been, once we made that call to Barry Trotz and the Predators, that uneasy feeling went away, and it's just been pure excitement.

Stamkos felt particularly welcomed by Nashville, which made his decision easier.
Just to have a team show as much interest as Nashville did, from their ownership, to the GM, to their coach, to some of the players on the team that I'm familiar with, it just made us feel really special and good and made that decision that much easier.

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