![]() Stamkos acknowledged he didn't need a "hard sell." As Vinny Lecavalier said, "You always think maybe the grass is greener, but it really isn't, especially when you're in Tampa." But Stamkos said he had "constant" dialogue with Hedman, who was in the middle of his own negotiations with the Lightning. Louis and former Lightning player Gary Roberts. Stamkos consulted with many people in the process: his family, his agents, friends like Marty St. "There was definitely a moment that I thought I was going to be gone," Stamkos said. Stamkos' friends could tell the decision, arguably the biggest of his life, was weighing on him. The Sabres were prepared to open their checkbook. His hometown Maple Leafs put on a full-court press in a meeting that included Toronto's mayor and the CEO of Canadian Tire. There were sleepless nights for the superstar, who wrote down in a notebook the pros and cons of every potential landing spot. TRAFFIC: Driving to the game? What you need to know to navigate downtown Tampa construction. "Harry is a little bit older, so maybe that's it."Īs flattering as the summer's week-long free agency interview period was for Stamkos, it was also stressful. "Harry is a big bully," Stamkos said, smiling. Stamkos has a 100-pound Swiss Mountain named Trigger, Hedman a 30-pound French Bulldog, Harry. He's getting better."Įven their dogs are buddies. "He made the playoffs for the first time this year," Stamkos said. Stamkos has taught Hedman about baseball, getting him into the group's fantasy league though Stamkos did pluck star outfielder Mike Trout in a trade from the naive Hedman. RELATED: Find all our Lightning season preview stories at our Lightning page. "We're the only guys left from when I got here," Hedman said. Hedman looks across the dressing room, peeks at Stamkos and smiles. "To be part of that, hopefully get that end product that results in a Stanley Cup, it means everything you did leading up to that was worth it." "It's special to be part of something where you start from the bottom and make your way up," Stamkos said. ![]() If the Lightning is the Beatles, Stamkos and Hedman are Paul and John. But if there's any reason for the Lightning to believe its window for a championship can be extended, it's Stamkos and Hedman. Goalie Ben Bishop is all but likely in his final season in Tampa Bay, and the deals of Johnson and forwards Jonathan Drouin and Ondrej Palat are up next summer, too. Restricted free agent forwards Alex Killorn signed for seven years later in July and Nikita Kucherov, finally, for three Tuesday.īut it all starts with Stamkos and Hedman, the franchise cornerstones, who set the tone in a 48-hour flurry. The story of the Lightning's summer was how Yzerman was somehow able to keep the band together for another shot at the Stanley Cup. It was the first day Hedman was eligible to do that, one year away from unrestricted free agency. So is Hedman, who signed an eight-year, $63 million deal two days after Stamkos did. It's no surprise Hedman got a few hours' heads-up in a text message from Stamkos: 1 and 2 overall in 2008 and '09, respectively. The two have been best friends for years, Stamkos and Hedman growing up together since getting drafted as 18-year-olds, Nos. in his native Sweden a few times when the captain forgot the time difference. The Lightning's star defenseman had been talking with Stamkos throughout the process, getting awoken at 4 a.m. ![]() "We didn't know (what Stamkos would do), " Vinik said.Owner Jeff Vinik, who never gets involved in contract negotiations, made a few courting calls to Stamkos and got "minute-by-minute, play-by-play updates" from Yzerman. Up until that morning, general manager Steve Yzerman and his staff had been going through free agency contingency plans in case they had to face the unenviable task of replacing Stamkos, a generational scorer and face of the franchise, who could become a free agent July 1."At first I didn't believe him," Johnson said.Steven Stamkos signed an eight-year, $68 million deal to stay with the Lightning.Center Tyler Johnson had his workout in Spokane, Wash., interrupted by a buddy who told him he saw on Twitter the news that rocked the hockey world June 29:.Veteran center Brian Boyle found out while on the back nine of a golf course in Hingham, Mass.
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