8 Years Later, Is Now The Time For The Canucks To Chase Stamkos?

The Lightning captain is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Let's flashback to the summer of 2016. Finding Dory was one of the most popular movies in the world, One Dance by Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla was at the top of the charts, and Steven Stamkos was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Despite interest from around the league, including the Vancouver Canucks, the Lightning captain decided to re-sign in Tampa Bay, putting pen to paper on an eight-year, $68 million deal. With the Lightning in town Tuesday and Tampa's captain once again a pending free agent, the question must be asked, should the Canucks persue him as they did almost eight years ago.

Premier players like Stamkos don't often get to market, but that could change this offseason. After not signing a contract before the season started, the Lightning captain told reporters, "It was something that I expressed at the end of last year that I wanted to get something done before training camp started." As for general manager Julien BriseBois, he stated that while he hopes Stamkos spends his entire career in Tampa Bay, serious contract negotiations with the 33-year-old won't happen until after the season. With tensions high and the Lightning currently sitting outside a playoff spot, it may be time for a change of scenery for the two-time Stanley Cup Champion. 

If a split happens, how interested would the Canucks be in Stamkos? With Vancouver on the verge of being a contender, the addition of a point-per-game player could be what they need to put them over the top. His addition to the power play could make the Canucks virtually unstoppable. At the same time, his leadership would be very helpful to Quinn Hughes, who, like Stamkos, was named team captain before turning 25. He is also familiar with the organization, as Rick Tocchet coached him during his rookie season while playing on a line with J.T. Miller during their time in Tampa Bay. While injuries and age are a concern, from a pure lineup point of view, the addition could benefit both the organization and the player. 

Now for one of the biggest factors, the contract. While reports indicate that the cap will increase by $4.2 million, the Canucks will be once again tight for space as they need to re-sign Elias Pettersson, Filip Hronek and Nikita Zadorov, among others. One way of making the money work would be a trade this season where Tampa Bay takes back a player like Conor Garland or Andrei Kuzmenko. Still, based on comments made by BriseBois, it doesn't look like the Lightning intend to trade their captain this season. This means Vancouver's most likely way of landing the superstar would be by clearing space and hoping he takes their offer, which, based on the Canucks projected cap next season and the provincial tax system, may be less lucrative than what other teams can offer. 

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Even if Vancouver is not in on Stamkos this offseason, watching how other fan bases will react should be fun. Could we see a Shohei Ohtani-type situation where planes that may or may not be carrying Stamkos are tracked, or will his decision be quick and to the point? Regardless of what happens, it is exciting to picture a world where the former Olympian leaves Florida for the West Coast and helps Vancouver pursue the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup.