Lightning make risky move with Steven Stamkos

The Tampa Bay Lightning are making a huge bet with the devil. Most believe the superstar forward Steven Stamkos will walk in his free agency tour coming after this season, but general manager Steve Yzerman came out and declared the team will not trade the forward before the Feb. 29 deadline, according to ESPN.

For the Lightning, the idea is that the team can win right now, and trading him would take away any real chance of that happening. There is certainly evidence toward the line of thinking being valid, with Tampa Bay having gone to the Stanley Cup Final last year and playing well enough to sit in a playoff spot currently in the Eastern Conference.

However, should the Lightning fail to win their second Stanley Cup in franchise history (they beat the Calgary Flames in 2004), the Stamkos gamble could blow up in their collective faces. Right now, Tampa Bay has to be aware of Stamkos’ intentions following this campaign. Does he want to return should the Lightning shell out a ton of money, or does he want to go to another market to grow his personal brand?

For now, Yzerman remains hopeful that he can reel Stamkos in after the season, something that many in the hockey world sincerely doubt. Per ESPN:

“I have said repeatedly that it is our hope to reach an agreement with Steven on a new contract at some point, and with 27 games remaining in the season, our entire organization, Steven included, wants to focus on making the playoffs,” Yzerman said in the release.

Stamkos, 26, has said all the right things to this point, expressing his desire to win a Stanley Cup in the Sunshine State, per the piece:

“My view hasn’t changed. I want to win with Tampa,” Stamkos told LeBrun. “I don’t think that’s going to change between now and 30 days from now.”

Since being with the first-overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by Tampa Bay, Stamkos has enjoyed a prolific career. The 6-foot-1, 188-pound has scored more than 40 goals on four occasions and twice eclipsed 50, including a career-high 60 in the 2011-12 season.

Stamkos is having a down year at the moment, racking up 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists) in 56 games. Regardless of his numbers in 2015-16, he has a long enough track record of success to still garner massive interest on the open market, should he get to it. With Stamkos, teams will be lining up for an elite player who can tilt the ice and change the complexion of a game with a single shot.

Give Tampa Bay credit, it is going for broke instead of dealing Stamkos and receiving a slew of top-tier prospects and draft picks to restock the farm system. Hopefully for Yzerman and the Lightning, the risk pays off.