Lightning have started extension talks with a pair of stars

There has been plenty of speculation regarding the future of Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay after it was announced in training camp that there wouldn’t be any extension discussions during the season. 

However, now that their year has come to an end, GM Julien BriseBois told reporters including Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times that he has already reached out to Stamkos’ agent to discuss a new deal before his current one expires on July 1. 

Additionally, he indicated that he has also spoken with the agent for defenseman Victor Hedman to begin extension discussions for him.

Stamkos has been a franchise fixture for the Lightning since they selected him first overall back in 2008. Since then, he has been one of the top scorers in the NHL, notching 555 goals and 582 assists in 1,082 regular season games along with 50 goals and 51 helpers in 128 playoff contests, helping lead the team to a pair of Stanley Cup titles.

While Stamkos’ prime years are now behind him, he is still a very productive player. The 34-year-old is coming off another season of more than a point per game, picking up 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games this season. His 81 points are good for second among all pending unrestricted free agents, behind only Florida’s Sam Reinhart.

Accordingly, there’s a strong case to be made that Stamkos should be in line for a raise on his current $8.5M AAV. However, with Tampa Bay already having over $75M in commitments to 16 players for next season per CapFriendly, fitting in a raise for Stamkos would make it that they couldn’t afford to fill out the rest of their roster. As a result, BriseBois will either have to get his captain to agree to a below-market contract or he will have to move a player or two out to open up the cap room to re-sign him.

As for Hedman, he has also been a Lightning lifer thus far, having been with the franchise since picking him second overall in 2009. For most of that time, he has been their undisputed top blueliner and surpassed the 1,000 games played mark this season. He’s coming off one of the best years offensively of his career, collecting 13 goals and 63 assists in 78 games. With Mikhail Sergachev missing more than half of this season due to injuries, Hedman certainly was able to pick up the slack.

The timeline for a new deal for Hedman isn’t as tight as Stamkos’ is. The 33-year-old isn’t even eligible to sign a contract until the final year of his current contract begins on July 1. With that in mind, any discussions in the next couple of months will likely be of the preliminary variety.

Hedman currently carries a $7.875M cap charge, one that is certainly well below market value for a proven top-pairing defender like he is. Like Stamkos, there’s a very strong case to be made that he’s worthy of a raise on his next agreement which is easier said than done given their salary structure. 

Having said that, BriseBois has been aggressive when it comes to trying to sign his core players to early extensions so it wouldn’t be surprising if one gets done in July when he becomes eligible to sign.