Here’s part of the conversation that Lawton had on Stamkos while referencing big stages and the Toronto Maple Leafs:
“He’s a bigtime player that would love to play in one of the biggest stages of the world and, personally, I’ve always belived that there would be a strong attraction to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs because of that, having known Steven long before, certainly, he was a superstar in the NHL and spending time with him.
Some guys hate that. Vinny Lecavalier hated that concept; Steven Stamkos, I think he loves it.
Now, I do think that Jeff Vinnik has been an amazing owner since taking over for Tampa, and those guys have done a lot right, but I think theres been enough chinks in the armour along the way for different things that have happened to Stammer down there that some of that may be tugging on him and pushing him to go to free agency.