Steven Stamkos candidly expressed his feelings regarding his departure from the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this summer.
“These past few weeks have been bittersweet,” the 34-year-old wrote in The Players’ Tribune. “I never thought this day would come. I did everything I felt I could do to make it work, but sometimes things just happen. It didn’t work. And I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t heartbreaking. But my family and I, we’re human, you know? Tampa is home. It’s where our three kids were born … it’s where our memories are. It’s always going to mean so much to us.”
Stamkos signed a four-year, $32-million contract with the Nashville Predators on July 1, ending a 16-season tenure with the Lightning. Tampa Bay made trades to clear cap space before free agency but chose to sign Jake Guentzel to a long-term deal instead of retaining Stamkos.
General manager Julien BriseBois acknowledged the disappointment among Lightning fans regarding Stamkos’ departure. After the team’s first-round playoff exit this spring, head coach Jon Cooper remarked that Stamkos “feels like a Bolt for life.”
Drafted first overall by Tampa Bay in 2008, Stamkos captained the team to two Stanley Cup victories. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played (1,082), goals (555), and points (1,137).
