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St. Louis sees Nashville as a positive destination for Stamkos
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    St. Louis sees Nashville as a positive destination for Stamkos

    When it comes to his former teammate, Martin St. Louis believes a change of scenery may just be a good thing for Steven Stamkos.

    Speaking to Dan Rosen of NHL.com on Thursday, the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens shared his thoughts on Stamkos, the longtime Tampa Bay Lightning captain, signing with the Nashville Predators this off-season.

    “It’s tough leaving,” St. Louis told Rosen while at a charity event in Connecticut. “I’m not going to get into how everything was handled. It’s hard to leave, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing for ‘Stammer’ to go and experience something else. It’d be nice to stay in the same place for that long, which he was fortunate to do. What was he, 16 years there? That’s a long time. I think he’s going to look back on his career and I think he’s going to be happy that he experienced something else, and he’s going to a really good situation.”

    St. Louis spent six seasons with Stamkos in Tampa and went through a similar experience, departing the Lightning at the end of a Hall of Fame career. He played 13 seasons overall for the Lightning before requesting a trade, which resulted in him being sent to the New York Rangers.

    The main difference between the two, however, is that Stamkos, after 16 seasons with the team, had expressed a desire to remain with the Lightning, ideally until his retirement from the NHL.

    Ultimately, it did not work out that way after he and the Lightning were unable to come to an agreement on a new contract, forcing him to depart in free agency this summer. He joined the Predators on a four-year, $32 million deal.

    The 34-year-old Stamkos, who has since spoken about his mixed emotions leaving Tampa, was undeniably the face of the franchise ever since the Lightning selected him first overall in the 2008 draft. A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the team, Stamkos remains one of the top goal-scorers in the NHL and is coming off the seventh 40-goal season of his career.

    “… I told him that I look back on my experience and I’m glad that I did what I did, especially being able to dictate a little bit where you’re going to go,” St. Louis said of his conversations with Stamkos this summer. “… I feel like he’s come around and I think he’s excited for what’s coming for him.”

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    Stamkos says break up with Lightning ‘puzzling and strange’

    As the NHL offseason heats up, one of the biggest names on the market is Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. The star center is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, and teams around the league are lining up to make their pitch for his services.

    One team that has emerged as a potential landing spot for Stamkos is the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are coming off a strong season that saw them reach the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2001, and adding a player of Stamkos’ caliber could put them over the top in their quest for a Stanley Cup.

    However, recent reports indicate that Stamkos may be more interested in joining the Nashville Predators than the Blues. Nashville is a team on the rise, with a talented young core led by defenseman Shea Weber and goaltender Pekka Rinne. The Predators also have a strong fan base and a reputation for being a great city for players to live and play in.

    Stamkos would be a great fit in Nashville, where he could join forces with fellow star forward Filip Forsberg to form one of the most potent offensive duos in the league. The Predators have plenty of cap space to work with and could offer Stamkos a lucrative contract to entice him to sign with them.

    While St. Louis may be disappointed at the prospect of missing out on Stamkos, they have plenty of other options to consider in free agency. The Blues have a solid roster already in place, and adding a player like Stamkos would have been more of a luxury than a necessity.

    Ultimately, Stamkos will have to weigh his options carefully before making a decision on where to sign this summer. Both St. Louis and Nashville offer unique opportunities for him to succeed, and it will be interesting to see where he ultimately decides to take his talents.