Music City blues: Is reported Detroit Red Wings offseason target Steven Stamkos already on the move?
The Detroit Red Wings missed out on signing Steven Stamkos in the summer, and he inked a 4-year deal in Nashville. But is he already on the verge of another relocation?
In a bizarre twist that almost nobody could have predicted, the Nashville Predators are one of the NHL's worst teams with Christmas now less than 10 days away.
Despite the offseason signings of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei, the Predators are tied for dead last in the NHL's Western Conference standings.
Through 31 games, Stamkos and Marchessault have only 8 and 7 goals, respectively. Meanwhile, Red Wings swept their season series the against the Predators.
Are the Predators about to pull a major move and get rid of Stamkos just months after he was regarded as arguably the biggest free-agent signing in team history?
Right now, the Predators are said to be in the trade market, but Stamkos isn't involved just yet. In fact, they're reportedly targeting a top player with Detroit's divisional foe, the Buffalo Sabres.
The Red Wings were reportedly in on the Stamkos sweepstakes during the summer
It seemed like a natural fit for the Red Wings and Stamkos to agree to a contract during the offseason.
After all, it was current Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman who previously managed Stamkos in Tampa Bay, while Derek Lalonde coached him as an assistant on Jon Cooper's staff.
But no deal materialized, and Stamkos instead signed a 4-year contract with the Predators.
An impactful report from former Detroit beat writer Terry Foster weeks ago indicated that Steve Yzerman had to get approval for a 4th year on the contract he wanted to offer Stamkos, but allegedly never heard back from team owner and CEO Chris Ilitch.
For now, Stamkos never could have envisioned his first few months in Nashville going so poorly.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 16 | 89 ANSWERS Music City blues: Is reported Detroit Red Wings offseason target Steven Stamkos already on the move? Should the Detroit Red Wings have done more to try and sign Steven Stamkos during the summer? | ||
| Yes, they should have made it happen! | 25 | 28.1 % |
| No, that contract at his age would be too much | 64 | 71.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
