Adam Proteau discusses the Tampa Bay Lightning delaying extension talks with Steven Stamkos, the Vancouver Canucks acquiring Casey DeSmith and the Ducks and Senators still dealing with key RFAs.
We’re back again with another edition of Screen Shots, THN.com’s ongoing feature in which your humble correspondent takes a look at a few hockey topics and breaks them down in some short paragraphs. Let’s move on to it:
One of the most intriguing news items was Tampa Bay Lightning star forward Steven Stamkos expressing his disappointment with his contractual situation beyond this season. Stamkos will be a UFA next summer, and the longer he goes without a contract extension, the more likely he is to testing the open market.
Bolts GM Julien BriseBois followed up on Stamkos’ new comments by stating he wanted to keep Stamkos in a Lightning uniform but stated he needs to see how “the season plays out.”
We said this nine years ago, but it bears repeating: it may not be probable that Stamkos will leave the Lightning, but there is a possibility he will do just that and, perhaps, take his talents to his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.
Stamkos’ camp did entertain Toronto’s proposal to Stamkos before he decided to remain a Bolt and took the offer very seriously, and as we’ve seen in numerous instances, the lure of playing in Leafs-crazed Toronto has attracted plenty of stars – John Tavares, Eric Lindros, Jason Spezza and Joe Nieuwendyk, among others – even if it was only near the conclusion of their stellar NHL career.
The same could prove to be true for Stamkos, who doesn’t need to hit a home run with his next contract, as he’s earned close to $100 million thus far. It needs to be about the right fit and the chance to win a Stanley Cup. Even if the Leafs let star winger William Nylander walk away as a UFA next summer, they could choose to use most, if not all, of Nylander’s cap space to give to Stamkos. Again, not a probable situation, but certainly a possible situation.
BriseBois’ decision to go through the season without extending Stamkos’ deal is a significant gamble. If the Lightning take a competitive step back, or if Stamkos has lingering animosity over not being made a priority for the Bolts, he wouldn’t be the first superstar to leave the only team he’s known in his NHL days. He also could choose any number of other teams to be his next employer, but whatever you do, don’t discount the possibility he remains in Blue and White, only in the biggest pressure-packed hockey market of them all.
Something that was much more expected than Stamkos’ revelations was the trade involving veteran goalie Casey DeSmith, who was dealt Tuesday from the Montreal Canadiens to the Vancouver Canucks.
DeSmith had been in a holding pattern of sorts since he was traded from Pittsburgh to the Habs as part of the three-way Erik Karlsson trade, and few hockey people believed DeSmith would ever play a game in Montreal, which already had veterans Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault in net before the Karlsson trade.
The 32-year-old DeSmith is now the Canucks’ No. 2 netminder behind starter Thatcher Demko, and DeSmith is on a one-year, $1.8-million contract that will make him a UFA in 2024. He made a career-high 38 appearances for the Penguins last season, and his 3.17 goals-against average and .905 save percentage weren’t anywhere close to impressive.
Indeed, DeSmith will be playing behind a Vancouver defense corps that, at least on paper, isn’t as good as the Pens’ ‘D’ corps last season. While Demko will probably do most of the heavy lifting between the pipes for the Canucks, DeSmith isn’t exactly a top-level insurance policy.
This is why we’re of the belief Vancouver may part ways with DeSmith at or before the trade deadline next spring. They do have 28-year-old Spencer Martin as an alternative option to back up Demko, but they also could go out and acquire an experienced hand and send DeSmith packing once again. Goaltending is a zero-sum line of work, and given that Vancouver management clearly wants to make the post-season this year, any struggles DeSmith may have will push him out the door in B.C.
Finally, as training camp begins to unfold, there are three notable RFAs – and two of them are property of the Anaheim Ducks.
Star forward Trevor Zegras and defenseman Jamie Drysdale are core components of Anaheim’s future, while Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto, like Drysdale and Zegras, would attract serious interest across the league if the Ducks and Sens ever made them available on the trade front. But we can’t see that happening, even if Ottawa has to move some assets around to remain salary cap-compliant while retaining Pinto.
It’s important to note that Zegras and Pinto are just 22 years old, while Drysdale is 21. Teams usually don’t give up on players that far from their peak years, and the only real question is whether any or all of the three choose short-term bridge contracts rather than take a seven- or eight-year deal that trades term in exchange for bigger money.
Anaheim, in particular, is weighing the pros and cons of locking up Drysdale and Zegras to lengthy extensions, but it’s entirely possible Ducks GM Pat Verbeek will go for a long-term pact with one or both of his RFAs. Every market is different, but in all three of these cases, the alternative – trading them – is not really an option at all.