Martin St. Louis believes Steven Stamkos leaving Tampa Bay isn't a bad thing

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Cooper Godin
July 27, 2024 (2:37)

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Lightning legend and current Montreal Canadiens Head Coach Martin St. Louis believes Steven Stamkos leaving Tampa Bay isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Earlier this month, Steven Stamkos' time with the Tampa Bay Lightning came to an end after the team decided not to re-sign him, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. It didn't take Stamkos long to find a new home as he signed a four-year deal with the Nashville Predators on the opening day of free agency.

It was a bit of a shock to everyone in the hockey world to see the Lightning move on from Steven Stamkos, who they selected first overall back in 2008 and was with them for 16 seasons, helping them win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. But one of Stamkos' former teammates believes that him leaving the organization and playing elsewhere isn't a bad thing for his career.

In an interview this week, Tampa Bay Lightning legend and current Montreal Canadiens Head Coach Martin St. Louis said that when Stamkos looks back on his NHL career after he retires, he'll be happy he was able to experience playing for another organization, despite how tough it was to leave the only team he's ever known.

"It's tough leaving," St. Louis said. "I'm not going to get into how everything was handled. It's hard to leave, but I don't think it's a bad thing for 'Stammer' to go and experience something else. It'd be nice to stay in the same place for that long, which he was fortunate to do. What was he, 16 years there? That's a long time. I think he's going to look back on his career and I think he's going to be happy that he experienced something else, and he's going to a really good situation."

Steven Stamkos is going to play a big role for the Nashville Predators, along with their other new additions - Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei - as they look to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and potentially make it to their first Final since 2017 when they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Markham, Ontario native is set to make his return to Tampa Bay early in the 2024-25 season, on October 28th, and there's no doubt it'll be an emotional night for him and for all Lightning fans.

Source: NHL.com
St. Louis sees bright side for Stamkos in leaving Lightning for Predators