Team: Tampa Bay Lightning Age: 26 Status: UFA
2015-2016 stats: GP: 77 G: 36 A: 28 P: 64 +/-: 3 PIM: 38
Bwaaaa?!?! Steven Stamkos is only third on the list?!?! Though he is one of the best free agents in NHL history, he does not get the top spot for good reason: the Avalanche have virtually no shot at landing him.
Sure, the Avalanche would likely love to have Stamkos in their lineup. Who wouldn’t? He is one of the top goal scorers in the NHL. He can skate. He oozes leadership. More likely than not, it’s simply not in the cards.
Stamkos will command a pretty penny (perhaps the biggest contract in NHL history) should he hit the open market. The Avalanche might make a splash in free agency, but it will not be quite this big, especially considering that they are already pretty strong up the middle.
Sure, it’s fun to dream about how Stamkos would look in burgundy and blue. Heck, it’s even fun to acquire him in NHL 16, but in dreams and video games are the only places he will be joining the Avalanche next season. It’s better to accept this fact now, so it doesn’t upset you when he either signs with Toronto or re-signs with Tampa Bay this summer.
Estimated cost: $12-13 million per season.
