Red Wings confirmed to have been in on the Steven Stamkos offseason sweepstakes
Despite multiple natural ties to the organization, the Detroit Red Wings and Steven Stamkos ultimately weren't able to come to an agreement on a contract, but that doesn't mean the Red Wings weren't interested.
One of the biggest offseason moves was former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos signing a 4-year contract with the Nashville Predators, a move that has surprisingly not worked out how everyone thought it would.
But before his arrival in Nashville, he had been linked to the Detroit Red Wings; he already had a pair of notable connections with GM Steve Yzerman, who signed him to his previous contract with the Lightning.
Additionally, the Red Wings were led on the bench by Derek Lalonde, who was an assistant with the Lightning for several years before being hired by Detroit in 2022; he was terminated last week.
A report from former longtime Detroit Free Press beat writer Terry Foster earlier this year indicated that Yzerman wanted to sign Stamkos, but allegedly never heard back from team owner Chris Ilitch in the necessary time window.
And now, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman is confirming that the Red Wings were in on the Stamkos sweepstakes, and that the subsequent signing of Vladimir Tarasenko was Yzerman' Plan B.
The Red Wings swept the Predators in their short 2-game season series, including a 3-0 shutout at Little Caesars Arena.
Ironically, Stamkos scored his 1st goal as a Predator against the Red Wings in Nashville, a 5-2 Detroit victory.
