The Steven Stamkos Saga
Will the Toronto Maple Leafs sign Steven Stamkos?
This question should be over relatively quickly once the clock strikes July 1st.
Stamkos to Toronto rumors have been rampant for a year now, but the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t commented (because they can’t, that’s tampering), the Tampa Bay Lightning have stood strong on their stance that they want Stamkos back, and Stamkos has stayed mum on the issue, saying all the right things to keep the heat on simmer.
Any team would love to have a Steven Stamkos on their roster, but the cost to bring him to Toronto might be too much. He’s going to get double digit offers from several teams if he hits the market on July 1st – which is highly likely.
Do the Toronto Maple Leafs really want to commit that massive amount of money to a player with the top young talent they’ll need to pay soon? Eventually, if they sign him, Stamkos will cost the Toronto Maple Leafs at least one of their young prospects in the system right now. That’s just the reality of the salary cap era – just look at Chicago with Teravainen.
You can’t pay everyone if your prospects pan out. Tampa itself is a great example of that.
As it stands now, without moving Nylander to the wing, having Matthews, Nylander and Kadri down the middle is a very solid top nine group of centers. The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have to sign Steven Stamkos to be competitive in a few years – and they might be will be better off financially if they don’t, even if he is a tempting hire.
Regardless, this storyline isn’t going away until there has been pen put to paper between Steven Stamkos and some team in the National Hockey League.
Next: The Leafs Captaincy