A few weeks from now, Steven Stamkos is going to step on the ice at Amalie Arena and watch the Tampa Bay Lightning raise their third Stanley Cup banner to the rafters. He will then line up at center and start his 14th season with the Lightning.
It’s been a long career already for the future hall of fame forward and all signs point to him having a few more seasons left in him. His current contract runs through the 2023-24 season and he’ll be just 34 years-old at that point. A decade ago that might seem ancient in the hockey world, but Zdeno Chara just signed for another year and he’s 44.