Is it October yet?
Unfortunately, no, but we're here to help pass the time. From Aug. 8 to Sept. 1, The Hockey News Nashville Predators will be counting down 24 players in 24 days, profiling every current or potentially rostered player.
Today's player profile is forward Steven Stamkos.
24 Nashville Predators in 24 days series
As an NHL prospect
Stamkos was seen as a generational talent from his early days.
After scoring a whopping 105 goals and 95 assists for 197 points in 66 games for the Markham Waxers AAA, Stamkos was selected first overall by the Sarnia Sting in the 2006 OHL Draft.
In his first junior season, he'd score 92 points in 63 games. He'd only improve on that total in his draft year, scoring 105 points in 61 games, powered by 58 goals.
Stamkos earned a plethora of awards in juniors, including the Jack Ferguson Award, Bobby Smith Trophy, an All-Rookie Team selection, an All-Star Team selection, the CHL Top Draft Prospect Award and CHL first All-Star Team selection.
He also played for Canada at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship, scoring six points in seven games and winning a gold medal.
It was no surprise that Stamkos was selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2008 NHL Draft.
Professional career
Stamkos has had a long, decorated NHL career spanning 17 seasons, 16 of which were in Tampa.
He's played 1,164 games, scoring 582 goals and 608 assists for 1,190 points. Stamkos has also played in 128 Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring 50 goals and 51 assists for 101 points, and has won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.
Stamkos has also played in the Stanley Cup Final two other times in 2015 and 2022.
He's a seven-time NHL All-Star and has won the Rocket Richard Trophy twice, which is given to the player who leads the league in scoring.
Stamkos had 95 points in 82 games during the 2009-10 season, powered by 51 goals. During the 2011-12 season, he scored a total of 60 goals and 37 assists, totaling 97 points. During the 2021-22 season, he eclipsed 100+ points in a season for the first time in his career, scoring 106 points in 81 games.
Stamkos was also the cover athlete for EA Sports NHL 12. He's been nominated for the Hart Trophy once (2012) and the Ted Lindsay Award twice (2011 and 2012). Stamkos owns eight individual single-season Lightning records and seven Lightning career and regular-season records.
Internationally, Stamkos has competed at the IIHF World Championships three times (2009, 2010 and 2013) and won a silver medal at the 2009 games. He competed in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, scoring two points in six games and winning a gold medal.
Stamkos has struggled with injuries throughout his career. During the 2013-14 season, Stamkos suffered a broken tibia injury that required surgery and left him sidelined for most of the season. It also prevented him from competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
In 2016, Stamkos was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which sidelined him again and even put into question whether he'd stay with the Lightning. During the 2016-17 season, Stamkos suffered a torn lateral meniscus and played just 17 games.
In the 2024 offseason, Stamkos and the Lightning were unable to agree on an extension, and he signed with the Nashville Predators as a free agent. He inked a four-year, $32 million contract.
His first season as a Predator wasn't ideal, as he experienced a 28-point decline from the previous season, scoring 53 points in 82 games and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
It was Stamkos' worst season since his rookie year, when he had 46 points in 79 games.
What role will he play this season?
This is a very important year for the relationship between Stamkos and the Predators.
He is undoubtedly a Hall of Fame player, but is he past his prime? One bad year shouldn't dictate that, especially considering a season where the Predators won less than 40% of their games. Stamkos also had 53 points in 82 games, which, in a general context, is not bad at all.
However, if Stamkos puts up another sub-50 point season, it may be time to start considering that he is in the twilight of his career.
This is a high-caliber scorer who put up 106 points three seasons ago. He's still a good player, as he put up half that total in a year where everything went wrong for the Predators.
But the Predators need that firepower out of Stamkos. They've never really been a team to have such a high-powered offensive player before and they need Stamkos to be that. Nashville needs goals badly, and he was brought in to find the back of the net.
The effort to reignite Stamkos starts with moving him to a scoring-favorable position at wing. Instead of doing so much down the middle, Stamkos could focus more on getting the puck on net and really driving the offense.
Similar to having Jonathan Marchessault on the wing, those two should be focused on energizing the offense and not having to run the whole thing as a center would.
He's also facing adversity this year. Along with the calls that he's past his prime, he was not invited to the Canadian Olympic Camp. On the reserves in 2010 and missing due to injury in 2014, 2026 could've been his last chance. His next opportunity would be in 2030 in the French Alps, but he will be 40 by the time the games roll around.
Stamkos is a generational talent, and he's said this offseason that he feels a lot more comfortable coming into this season compared to last. This will be a critical year in determining the longevity of Stamkos in the NHL.