Will he stay or will he go?
The hottest topic in the NHL is the future of Tampa Bay Lightning centre Steven Stamkos, who is headed to unrestricted free agency July 1.
An informal poll of league executives last week indicated the Bolts had best get him signed before the Feb. 29 trade deadline or the Lightning are going to have a really hard time keeping him. The questions whether he’s going to stay there as these talks drag on will continue.
Tampa GM Steve Yzerman is very pragmatic in his approach to any situation so he’ll want to make sure he does what’s right for the organization and for a player considered the face of the franchise but there is a sense of urgency here.