Martin St. Louis spoke on Thursday about his former teammate Steven Stamkos’ abrupt departure from the Tampa Bay Lightning, a decade after St. Louis himself requested a trade from the team.
The current head coach of the Montreal Canadiens avoided discussing the treatment Stamkos received from the Lightning before he signed with the Nashville Predators on July 1. However, he expressed that he believes the 34-year-old will eventually appreciate the chance to play for a different organization.
“It’s tough to leave,” St. Louis told NHL.com at the Shoulder Check Showcase charity event. “I don’t want to get into how everything was managed. Leaving is hard, but I think it’s a positive for Stammer to experience something new.
“Staying with the same team for that long is a blessing, which he was lucky to have. Wasn’t he there for 16 years? That’s a significant amount of time. I believe he’ll look back on his career and be glad to have had a new experience, and he’s heading into a really good situation.”
Stamkos signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Predators when free agency began, despite expressing a strong desire to stay with the Lightning. Tampa Bay, however, opted to go in a different direction, acquiring the rights to winger Jake Guentzel from the Carolina Hurricanes and signing him to a seven-year, $63 million deal.
Last week, Stamkos wrote a farewell letter to the franchise and its fans in The Players’ Tribune, admitting, “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t heartbreaking.”
St. Louis mentioned that he has spoken with Stamkos since July 1, reflecting on his own experience of being traded to the New York Rangers in 2014 after 13 years with the Lightning. “It was definitely a different experience, but very emotional at the time,” St. Louis said.
“There were a lot of changes. His kids are younger than mine were then, but there are still many adjustments and uncertainties. Looking back at my career, I went to a very good situation in New York. We fell short, but we had the talent to win two Cups; it just didn’t happen. “He’s joining a team that will be competitive.
I told him that, reflecting on my experience, I’m glad I made the choices I did, especially being able to influence my destination.” Stamkos, who took over as the team’s captain after St. Louis’ trade, holds the Lightning’s franchise records with 555 goals, 1,137 points, and 1,082 games played.
Last season, he scored 40 goals and recorded 81 points in 79 games, adding five goals and an assist in the first round of the playoffs, which turned out to be his last postseason series with the team.
Now, the veteran forward aims to help a revamped Predators squad pursue a Stanley Cup after the franchise made significant moves in free agency by also acquiring forward Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei.
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