An Inside Look at the Steven Stamkos Saga: From Tampa Bay Lightning to Nashville Predator

An Inside Look at the Steven Stamkos Saga: From Tampa Bay Lightning to Nashville Predator

Nashville Predators fans are thrilled to have Steven Stam Co coming to smashville but how has the news gone over in Tampa Bay and what can PRS fans expect from the veteran on and off the ice today we are joined by DeAndre louu site editor and reporter covering the Tampa Bay Lightning for the hockey news to take a deeper dive into the stamco situation you’re locked on Predators your daily podcast on the Nashville Predators part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day welcome to the locked on Predators podcast and thank you for making us your first listen of the day we are your free daily Nashville Predators podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day want to kick off this episode with a Hello to our lock on pred heads those are our everyday listeners who tune in each week day to talk Nashville Predators hockey with us we appreciate your support and we love that we get to spend a little bit of your day with you I’m an Kimmel I’m a writer with Penalty Box radio and today I am joined by great friend and incredible reporter Deandra louu Deandra is the site editor and reporter covering the Tampa Bay Lightning for the hockey news deandra’s been covering the team in Tampa Bay for the last five years through her writing through radio and onair broadcasts today she joins us to answer all of our questions about Tampa Bay’s decision not to sign Steven Stam Co she’s going to Prime Nashville Predators fans for office hours and she shares what she expects when stevenh Stam Coos returns to Tampa Bay in October as a Nashville Predator before we dive into our conversation with DeAndre do want to let you know today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more it’s playoffs wind down the Sports Stop Sports in like we want them to but this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long visit fanduel.com to get started all right Deandra we are here to talk the big Topic in Nashville I am pretty sure it’s also the big topic still in Tampa Bay here to talk about Steven Stam Coast leaving the lightning coming to the Nashville Predators now I want you to understand what July 1st was like here in Nashville and when I tell you that there was almost this city-wide visceral reaction to the announcement that step Stam Co was coming here I’m only slightly exaggerating because there had been rumors but nobody really thought that it could happen and when it was announced that he was signing with the Predators it has been the topic since July 1 but I’d love to get your perspective what was July 1st like when the news broke that Stephen stamp Co was no longer going to be with the Tampa Bay Lightning well first of all thank you so much for having me on uh finally I’m excited to finally be here um so I would say July 1 was probably a different day in Tampa than it was in Nashville um different Vibes there yeah two totally different Vibes and um you know I’ve talked about this a lot um you know it’s been what a little over a week now since it happened so things have I wouldn’t say settled down it’s still very much you know the the topic of conversation but yeah I mean I I guess similar to what stamco said you know I kind of just always assumed a deal would get done I just thought in my head you know there’s no way that you could let Stephen stamp Coast go you couldn’t let him walk from your team he’s such an asset and um you know being that I in there I don’t know it feels like almost every day you know covering the team during the season I see on a day-to-day basis just the effect that he had in the locker room on the players um he kind of just set the culture like it’s hard for me to explain but you’ll see once you’re you’re in there and you’re covering him but um you know he really set the standard and um I think that the team kind of took on that identity you know really I was talking to a friend that that works in the business when it happened because I was just I was honestly in shock even though the the few days leading up to it I kind of had an idea that that was what was going to happen but it just kind of came out I said I don’t know what they’re gonna do Stephen stamp Co is the logo and it’s because you know when you walk around amily Arena and and you see the lightning bolt you just think Stephen stamco so yes um definitely a very opposite day from what you guys had in Nashville I think uh all of us are you know we were kind of in morning it was a tough week for sure and for me on two different levels right on a professional level because I’m really going to miss covering him and covering his leadership and just watching him interact with the fans and the kids there’s so many kids that love him and you guys are going to see that too um and then just you know on a personal level I grew up in Florida the reason why I wanted to cover hockey was because of the lightning and obviously stamp Coast you know has a big impact on that so um you know I was kind of feeling it too I think people don’t realize that reporters also kind of go through it as well yeah when do you feel like you knew that it wasn’t going to happen because of course there was conversation before this past season started that a deal didn’t get done and so there was sort of this lingering Wonder but when do you really feel like it became clear oh my gosh this this could happen we really could lose Stephen stamco yeah I think it was Saturday um when they cleared all of the cap space when Julian cleared the cap space he traded serf and you know I was you hate to see a player like serf go but I thought there’s no doubt in my mind that they’re doing this I’m like okay they’re gonna they’re gonna you know counter Stam coast and and figure out how to make it work and then when we got on a press conference with Julian that afternoon he was asked you know now that you’ve cleared that space you know did you increase your offer to stamp goes and he said no so to me I think I got off that press conference and my mind was just um it was just kind of obvious like there was no intention really to keep him and I think similar to what stammer said on his press conference uh for his uh media availability or actually I think it was when he was on Sportsnet um you know looking back the writing was on the wall when you go back to training camp of last year kind of throughout the season and we had asked Jullian about it a few times and um I don’t know you know it’s one of those things where you look back on it and you’re like if I really would have paid attention to the words I would have known there was probably never the intention to sign Stam Co and it wouldn’t have matter what he did it was just they made that decision and that’s kind of what it was we’ve heard people talk about you know sort of floating numbers out there about what you know Steven Stam Co what was offered to him maybe what he was bringing to to the table you were on the media call with stamp Coast that I was as well when it was announced he was coming to Nashville and one thing that he said and I believe it was in that col and not on sportset but he said you know I felt like I was coming to the table but I was the only one making concessions do you feel like probably that was accurate oh yeah no that was first of all stammer is a very honest guy like he has no reason to sugar coat fluff anything up um yeah and you’ll see that too he’s just very like just an honest dude um but yeah no I I had heard I had been hearing throughout the week kind of what the lightning were offering him and kind of what he wanted and you know he was going to go way below market value to stay in Tampa and you know like I I told you before we hopped on here you know I spoke with him right before the playoffs started it was like a couple days before they went for game one of the playoffs against the Panthers and you know I sat down and I talked to him about how much he loved Tampa and you know how much he loved the fans and how much he wanted to stay and you know you could just see it on his face like he was just so excited to talk about it and so I knew he would take a lot less um you know I had heard the lightning and have offered him anywhere from three to 3.5 um over like an eight-year span and maybe a couple different structured ways but it was still coming down a three to 3.5 I heard stammer wanted like five but was willing to go for Less so um you know that just shows how much he wanted to day and how much the lightning weren’t willing to budge on well and Nashville signed him four years $8 million and I’ll be honest with you8 million is a number that makes fans in Nashville Twitchy because they signed Ryan Johansson to an 8 million deal that didn’t pan out they signed Matt you Shane to an $8 million deal that didn’t pan out but and so we’ve always kind of joked like whatever you do don’t sign that specific number because it’s a trigger but I will tell you there was no one flinching at $8 million for stepen Stam Coast because that is you know that is what he’s worth he’s worth $8 million a year at least you know so when we heard the numbers to coming out of Tampa Bay they seemed very surprising uh for us as well what was your read as somebody who has covered Stephen St Co what was your read as you watched him in the press conference as you listen to him on sportset kind of what was your read about how he was doing with this just crazy situation yeah well first of all he’s the most professional genuine guy like I knew that there was no way he was gonna waver on anything like he was just going to be himself and um he’s really good at holding it together and he did it the entire season knowing that they didn’t approach him last summer um on an extension which they do for all their players and um he just never let it affect him all all year so I knew when he got on the press conferences that regardless of what happened he was going to keep it really professional I will say you know I was at amily and we took that press conference I had my laptop in the media room so like everybody was standing around me watching him on the press conference it was really surreal because the last time I was in the media room stamp ghost was there so um it was very surreal to see but again you guys are going to you’re going to see what a professional he is and you know anything that’s going on behind closed doors he will never ever he’s never going to put anybody down he’s never going to disclose it um and he’s just going to always keep it genuine and and professional but I have to say it was very surreal to see him with a different team it just didn’t seem right at all it’s even one of those things that’s still even to us here and I had told you this before we popped on but I was looking up some stats and to see his picture on the NHL stats page with gold background Nashville Predators it’s shocking to us and look yeah Nashville is beyond thrilled about the signing Beyond thrilled about the signing but it is shocking because this is one of those players you always expect to see in blue and white you just always expected that he would be with the Tampa Bay Lightning one of the things too that I will say is I was so impressed and and you’re talking about this is just who he is and I think this will be really uh great for Nashville to get to know him but you want to talk about a situation where like the petty and me would want to like slash and burn baby I was so impressed with like you said he was so professional he was very honest and and as somebody in Nashville did not feel at all slighted by his honesty about how he felt about having to leave Tampa Bay and and I think people in Nashville really respect that he loved where he was and he was all in there and I and that’s a hard line to walk when you know you’ve been through what he’s been through but you also want to look forward Class Act total Class Act in that in that call yeah I think and that’s just like genuinely who he is where maybe some of us would be inclined to to like you said be a little petty you know I definely had my moments in this past week where I just am I just I want to be a little little petty but um you know again like that’s just genuinely who he is like he just communicated how he was feeling this is how I feel everyone knows this is how I feel but I also want to be respectful to my new team and I think you’re going to see that like you and I talked about this but you know as much as he wanted to stay in Tampa I’m sure this is a very difficult time for him right now you got to think about you know off the ice like his family is rooted here and he’s um you know really involved in the community and um I’m you know he has a house and like all these things that are separate from hockey that he has to dis distance himself from so there’s probably a lot going on but um he’ll be all in like once he gets to Nashville and that’s that’s his team like he’s going to he’s GNA dig his heels in and um you know he’s always gonna be he’s always just gonna be the same guy he’s on a different level Stam Co is on a different level than other players and I think that’s why it’s so difficult to see him go for a lot of lightning fans that are are heartbroken and not not doing well with us at all of course all hockey fans know what a talent Stephen Stam Co is but coming up Andre is going to share the One Moment In games that’s going to have predators fans leaning in today’s episode is brought to you by eBay Motors passion drive and patience that’s the formula for winning championships it’s also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance superchargers roof racks LED kits and more whether you are into speed power or style eBay Motors has you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you’ll always find exactly what you’re looking for and with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay Motors you’re burning rubber not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it’s easy to make your car the MVP and bring home home huge wins keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusion Supply eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers what have been the talking points from the front office you know since this happened have they is it still something that they are asked about are they still addressing it have they really kind of moved on because you know they’re making moves separate from not signing stamp coast of course signed Jake edil and you know they’re signed they signed Victor Hedman have they been asked more about it have they said any more about it since then no I’m not gonna lie it’s been a very weird time right now um you know Hedman Victor Hedman and Stam Coos are best friends those guys are brothers and you know we had a press conference the next day and it was on headman’s extension which was the same exact contract that Stam Co has in Nashville and yeah and it was I mean you could tell I mean it was so difficult for Hond to even talk about like he didn’t even want to touch on the subject of you know him being the next next Captain or anything like that so um we haven’t heard anything since then I would say and um yeah no we have not heard anything since then I think this is something that’s not going to go away and I keep telling people I don’t if you’ve looked in my Twitter lately but it’s kind of a mess right now um and you know I get it I totally get it like people are very upset but one thing that I’ve been saying is like this story is not going away at least on my end like I’m going to cover this all the way through because if you make a big move like getting rid of your captain who’s been there for 16 years who was drafted by your organization who was the best player in the playoffs for lightning like by far he showed up he was their best player and especially down the stretch so if you get rid of a player like that and you don’t succeed the moves that you made are not successful that story is going to carry over so I keep trying to tell people like this story is not done the story is going to keep going and um you know we haven’t really heard much but um like I said that doesn’t mean anything you know this story is especially when stamp Coast is back in October and uh that so yeah do you think the move was about cap space or do you think it was about kind of getting younger in pivoting do you think it was just a mixture of both you know to be honest it’s so hard to say because they didn’t get younger the lightning didn’t get younger um you know Hedman is BAS he’s only a few months younger than than stamp Co um so they didn’t get younger and Ryan MCD is older than stammer um they signed a 35y old so um you know I don’t think the story is them getting younger I think probably if you ask Julian he would say we wanted to improve on five on five we wanted to improve as a defensive team Jake gel’s a a strong two-way player but you know he scores 30 goals a season stamp Coast is a 40 goal scorer so you still have to make up for those goals somewhere so it’s very hard I’m still kind of trying to figure out and like Julian could obviously make another move there’s plenty of time to do so but I’m trying to figure out this identity of this team but it’s definitely not that they were getting younger they or getting tougher it’s uh I think this was something that was planned probably at least a year in advance and kind of like what ST said you know the writing was always on the wall but you always have hope and you’re kind of sitting there and um you know stamp Coast is one of those players like you want to be really respectful of so we didn’t really push the contract conversation too much because he didn’t want it to affect the team and I totally respect that looking back uh you know the the hints were there the signs were there and and now we’re here so yeah of course everybody is familiar with Steven Stam Co if you know whether you’re a fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning if you are a hockey fan you know Stephen stamco but just for any fans in Nashville who may not have had as much time you know most of us have not watched him like you have you’ve been there for all of the games what do we need to be watching when we’re talking about on Ice skill set like what are the things that absolutely Stand Out besides the fact that he does basically everything really really well yeah he is um well the biggest thing that you’re going to see is when he scores on the power play and when he call it we just say it’s from his office and it’s like the most deadly slapshot you’ve ever I mean you could hear it it’s so loud and we’ve actually asked him about it like how he practices it and things like that but um one thing that I’m Really Gonna Miss is like when they’re in a bind and they need a goal and he just scores and he shoots from his office and everybody moves out of the way because they don’t want to get hit and um it just would get so loud in amily and um it was there were just so many jokes it was like running jokes about him like scoring in his office and office hours are open and we would make up all these like weird memes and things like that so I’m definitely gon to going to miss that and um I was actually thinking about during the playoffs when uh he jumped in front of a puck like he literally just threw his body in front of a puck to cover the net and uh you know it’s just it’s just crazy like you really want a guy like that on the ice with you and he’s such a leader and you know if things would kind of crumble or they were having a rough game like he was just always that solid guy so so um he’s somebody you definitely want on your team uh but his him scoring from the office will forever be like some of my favorite we I mean I’m gonna miss there’s no stammer time anymore like things like that yes oh that’s so great yeah yeah we’re definitely gonna miss that I know just all around I can speak for everyone here in Tampa well and I will say that you just said some magic words for Nashville Predators fans because the power play has been the bane of our existence all of last season so that was one of the things when the shock it still hasn’t really worn off but that was one of the things when you could kind of get through the feeling of oh my Lord we just signed stevenh Stam Co everybody was like the power play like we could actually score some goals this could be huge he’s gonna crush it he’s gonna crush it and it’s fun too it’s fun to watch it’s fun you know that when he gets the puck it’s like the chances of it going in are so high you’re like I just know what this is g to look like I know where it’s coming from and you’re just anticipating that it’s going to happen so um that’s definitely that’s the most fun is like I remember this past season I think we were playing Boston and he scored with like 46 seconds left and it was from his office and it was just the coolest thing it was the loudest I had heard amily in so long um so big games like that he’s gonna come through always and you know he’s got a lot of experience but also that’s just kind of the guy he he is you know it’s just the player that he is you’ve T touched on this you know a little bit earlier as we were talking but you’ve covered him obviously off ice talk about what he brings off ice in the locker room as a leader you know he was Captain of this team what is he going to bring to Nashville off ice yeah I think what he brings off ice is actually more important than what he brings on the ice and I’ve been saying this like stamp Coast is the kind of player that you don’t base his value off of what’s on a stat sheet like he’s just not that kind of player and you know there’s great athletes that come and go and there’s you know they just are he’s like the Mount Rushmore of hockey players and um I think what he brings off the Icees is the best part of him right like he we talk about growing the game in Florida like the game is growing in Florida and kids are wanting to play hockey here but like he’s literally the reason why they want to play hockey here you know so um we used to have a lot of kids would come in um John Cooper works with um like pediatric cancer patients and does events with them and stuff like that so I would say almost every Saturday if there was a home game we would have some kids come in and every single time you would ask them who their favorite player was and it was always Stephen Stam Co and you know he would get on the ice with them and work on their slap shots and stuff like that and um I remember one time we were playing Montreal I forget had to be the second half of the Season it was a Saturday and I was so tired and I’m like oh I’m going to go to morning skate I almost want to skip the game it’s been such a long week and two of the kids one was a he was going through chemotherapy and he was playing on the little mini rink with his friend and he was pretending like he was stepen Stamkos and so and his friend was vasileski so they said stammer get ready you know they were imitating vassie and Stam Co and I’m like you know what this is seriously what it is all about so I think what he does off th he’s done so much for a community I mean like you can do research on it but um it’s just endless things that he’s done for Tampa so things like that are I think what’s most important and um obviously people really respect him here and that will carry over in Nashville you know he’s just a leader and he won’t be the captain in Nashville but you’re gonna see his leadership carry over everyone like Stam Co is the kind of guy like players want to be and you want to be like him as a person he’s a great person um all around when I talk about how I wanted to be Petty in the past week I’m like nope don’t do it with him yeah yeah he is this is such an exciting piece for Nashville not just obviously like you’re talking about on ice but off ice as well because Nashville really is in this season of resetting a culture where Barry trotz came as the general manager and you know Andrew brunette came as the head coach and they’re like look we need to change some of the way that the team operates off ice and just how they view this and when we look at Steven Stam Coast it’s like you can’t ask for a better piece to come in and and jump in with Roman Yosi and Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Shen and Gus Nyquist and Philip forsberg and UC staros and and help set that culture for these young players that are coming up so I know that that is something that was very important to Barry trots not just you know power play and goal scoring but also just this is a guy who’s going to change the culture you know 10 years from now these players will will be doing things because that’s the way Steven Stam Coast did them we’re going to wrap up our discussion with DeAndre in just a minute talking about the game that will bring Stam Coast back to amaly Arena on October 28th and what she expects that reception to be like today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel I love sports I love them so much I never want them to stop but as the playoffs have wrapped up we’re going to get fewer games and the sports they just aren’t Sports and like I’d want them to but FanDuel lets me keep the sports going whenever I want all I have to do is open the app and dream up bets anytime I’m in the mood whether it’s major league baseball or WNBA FanDuel has all the action you want and this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long so head on over to fanduel.com and start making the most out of your summer FanDuel official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball here’s the thing it’s going to be great to watch for 82 games of the regular season and then let’s see what happens in the postseason but there is a lot of excitement and a lot of expectations here you know I know obviously National was in the the playoffs last year but like they’ll really really have that edge just because stammer is a playoff guy like he’s he turns into a totally different human being in the playoffs like I saw it this season to it was like normal stammer playoff stammer you know um and I can’t really explain it but you’ll see because I really think Nashville is a good shot this year and you know I think you know emotions are a part of sports right it’s not just analytics and like what’s on the stat sheet and you know athletes need that emotional component to really push their adversity especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs it’s the hardest trophy to win in sports so he’s going to get them going like he knows what it’s like to win a cup and and Luke Shen like has obviously been there with him too but staman he’s a he’s a different dude during the playoffs you’re going to see um I think Nashville’s gonna go really far this year uh we talked earlier uh off camera about this as well but Ryan mcdna Ryan Patrick who I absolutely have loved watching in Nashville asked to go back to Tampa Bay and part of the reason it’s similar to Stephen stamp Coast his life is rooted in Tampa Bay like that’s his support system that’s his family that’s where he wants to raise his kids and mad respect for a professional athlete who values that as much as you know on ice but part of what he said is he wanted to go back and play with Victor Hedman and step Stam Co and Barry trots made sure to make that happen because Ryan mcdna is total standup guy and you want to do right by those those players in the league now Stephen Stam Co is not there um what have have you heard anything about that situation and how is the team gonna adjust to not having to not having him honestly that’s a great question I think that’s a whole side of it that we haven’t even seen yet is like what is the locker room gonna be like like how do you overcome a hole like that um yeah mcdna we call him Mac here you call him Ryan Patrick we call him back but I call him Ryan Patrick to his face I do in my heart he’s Ryan Patrick yeah no I his first presser like once it happened well kudos to Barry trots too because I remember when that happened and he was explaining I think it was Barry trots actually he had explained like why he decided to to do this and why he was okay with it I’m like what a standup guy like that is hard to find in the league and I thought it was just so impressive and you know we always kind of knew in Tampa that MC was never supposed to to leave like I think I messaged you multiple times about him since we’ve known each other like it was just something we talked about in Tampa all the time like he’s got to come back he’s got to come back they just were never the same without him they were never the same and um you know I feel for him because Stamkos is his best friend and luckily Hedman will have him here in Tampa because it’s going to be a tough transition for him as well and they can kind of do that together but um you know I feel for him I think he’s probably really happy to be in Tampa but thought it was going to be a totally different situation and when we had the press conference with him he said the first person he called was Stam Co and Stam Co was on the ice with coocher off yes um so it was just like in our minds we’re like this is it like they’re all gonna reunite they’re gonna make a run for the cup and Nostalgia 101 but um you know that’s just not how it’s going to be and I think another person who’s incredibly professional and genuine as Ryan mcdna so I think he’ll do everything he can to help Hedman kind of through this transition obviously he’s a leader as well so um yeah I feel for him though I do those those guys those three together were iconic yes I know I that was one of that was probably my second thought after the shock and awe of the signing was oh my gosh Ryan mcdna wanted to be back there with these guys I do want to ask you about the return of Steven Stam Co that’s going to happening in October now look here let’s set the stage because when Ryan Patrick went came back it was unbelievable I mean the the crowd response and he didn’t play in his first game back because he had of course blocked a shot with his face as as he does as he does um but the response to Ryan mcdna returning to Tampa Bay was absolutely mind-blowing got a key to the city they named a day after him what is the return like how do you anticipate the return of Steven Stam Co to amaly Arena oh it’s not going to be good I mean he’s going to get he’s gonna get everything that he deserves but it’s not GNA be uh it’s gonna be very emotional I am already I hate that it’s at the beginning of the season because he doesn’t get any time to get situated and adjust and like really let it like sink in of what’s going on you know he doesn’t get a lot of time um I think it’s gonna I can’t imagine I I but again he’s so professional I’m sure he’s mentally preparing for it and the rest of everybody else will be crying and he’ll be you know He’ll Be steady you know but uh like kind of similar it’s gonna be if you thought Ryan McD’s return was big which it was everybody was sobbing and his family was crying and it was a huge thing but this is going to be on a totally different level I don’t know how he’s going to do it honestly it’s going to be hard to cover it too like I said you know yeah see go a professional level and also on a personal level is somebody who lives in Tampa loves Tampa and wanted to cover hockey because of the lightning like it’s it’s G to be very difficult um I’m sure the Press Box is going to be packed packed but I I just I honestly can’t even imagine him in another sweater so it’s like not even something that I’m grasping very well it’s going to be very strange very strange yeah Deandra I want to thank you so much for coming on sharing your Insight you know you’ve been watching Stam Coast for so long you’ve talked with him and it’s been really great to get your perspective on the situation and on who he is and and who Nashville is getting so I want to thank you for that but before we go can you let everybody know where they can find you on social media and where they can find your work because you all need to be following Deandra yeah so I um you can find all my work on the hockey news I do a lot of radio and things like that but the hockey news is where you can read everything um and I see my Twitter handle down here um it’s Deandra orl um and then I have a link to my work in my bio so uh like I said my Twitter is very active right now follow boring it is not boring yeah that’s right well we are looking forward to you coming to Nashville for some Tampa Bay Lightning games and uh we’ll grab a coffee or a burger it’s gonna be great we’re doing it we’ll do both I want to thank DeAndre for joining me today to share her insight and her experience covering Steven Stam Coast while it is going to be a fun season in Nashville with the addition of Stam Coast there’s going to be plenty of big storylines unfolding in Tampa Bay as well this season so make sure that you follow Deandra on social media and check out all of her work at the hockey news that’s going to do it for today’s episode of the lockdown Predators podcast thank you for making us your first listen of the day we’ll be back tomorrow with an all new episode we’ll see you then

It’s been just over a week since Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz announced that Steven Stamkos signed with the team. On today’s Locked On Predators we are joined by Diandra Loux, site editor and reporter covering the Lightning for The Hockey News. Diandra shares the Tampa Bay perspective of the big free agency move that surprised many in the NHL and tells us how Lightning fans are reacting to the loss of their captain. She tells us what the message from Tampa Bay’s front office has been and how Stamos’ Lightning teammates are dealing with the decision. Finally, we discuss how Stamkos has navigated a difficult situation publicly and what Predators fans can expect from the veteran on and off the ice.

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