[News] Yzerman announces Stamkos will not be traded before deadline

[rhino]

I think everyone has missed the key word in Yzermans statement. He said Stamkos will not be traded BEFORE the FEb 29th deadline. I think he will make every attempt to sign him up to and including that day but if he can't do that STamkos will be traded.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

I don't get why Stamkos would want to play for the Leafs and I don't get why the Leafs would want Stamkos. I think this whole thing is made up by the media to generate interest in the Leafs while they're bad.

Hard core Leafs fan growing up, dream was to play for the Leafs. Not saying things haven't changed since he turned pro - they often do for professional athletes - but there's certainly enough there for the speculation. It isn't just completely random.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by rhino

I think everyone has missed the key word in Yzermans statement. He said Stamkos will not be traded BEFORE the FEb 29th deadline. I think he will make every attempt to sign him up to and including that day but if he can't do that STamkos will be traded.

Uhh, what? Is he going to trade him after the deadline?

I'm really confused here.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

I don't get why Stamkos would want to play for the Leafs and I don't get why the Leafs would want Stamkos. I think this whole thing is made up by the media to generate interest in the Leafs while they're bad.

For the Mats Sundin treatment being paid very handsomely and worshipped for leading the Titanic to it's fate.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Uhh, what? Is he going to trade him after the deadline?

I'm really confused here.

He's suggesting that Yzerman will do everything he can to sign him up UNTIL trade deadline day and then would trade him ON trade deadline day if a deal isn't reached.

I don't agree with his suggestion but it's pretty difficult not to see what he was saying there. He laid it out pretty clearly.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Uhh, what? Is he going to trade him after the deadline?

I'm really confused here.

If Yzerman can't come to terms with Stamkos his rights could get dealt before free agency if Stamkos agrees to start negotiating with that new team. Better to get a mid round pick for his rights if you can't re-sign him then lose him for nothing. Any team that wants to sign him would love the chance to re-sign him before he even hits UFA. We did the same with Wideman and Bouwmeester. Even just the negotiating rights to Stamkos could be worth as much as a 2nd rounder to certain teams.

Don't forget too that if somebody acquires his negotiating rights they can sign him to a longer term deal and thus more dollars because they can re-sign him for 8 years and not the 7 years max if he hits UFA.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

If Yzerman can't come to terms with Stamkos his rights could get dealt before free agency if Stamkos agrees to start negotiating with that new team. Better to get a mid round pick for his rights if you can't re-sign him then lose him for nothing. Any team that wants to sign him would love the chance to re-sign him before he even hits UFA. We did the same with Wideman and Bouwmeester. Even just the negotiating rights to Stamkos could be worth as much as a 2nd rounder to certain teams.

Don't forget too that is somebody acquires his negotiating rights they can sign him to a longer term deal and thus more dollars because they can re-sign him for 8 years and not the 7 years max if he hits UFA. So you can offer him more actual dollars with an 8 year deal.

Right, ok. That makes some sense.

[Dr. Doom]

Yzerman should have stayed out of the business side of hockey.
He's got a dog's breakfast going on down there and it sounds like he's barely keeping the lid on what could soon be an otherwise very public shaming.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Spite or no reason to move?

Lightning are poised to go deep in the playoffs. He can stay with the lightning and still probably have as good a chance to win a cup as any other team.

There's been rumours all year of Yzerman trying to move Stamkos, right?

That tells me there was at least the belief from the Tampa side that if they found a deal Stamkos would waive.

That the lightning are now coming out to say they won't trade stamkos even though the deadline is still pretty far off is an indication to me that Stamkos may no longer be willing to waive.

Stamkos' reasons for not wanting waive are numerous like you pointed out, but I wonder if the above is true, why is Stamkos no longer willing to waive in February when he was (potentially) willing to in November or December?

Maybe with the Phaneuf deal being done in Toronto, he knows the path is clear and now wants to wait it out, or maybe with the Phaneuf deal being done, Toronto is no longer willing to deal for Stamkos knowing they can sign him in the offseason. If stamkos was only willing to waive for Toronto and Toronto has decided they will get Stamkos July 1st, Yzerman's hands are tied.

The parting shot for the pending UFA is to not waive their trade protection. Tampa being a good team I guess makes it less of an apparent issue, but in my mind, there is always a sprinkle of spite or assertiveness in those decisions. From the perspective of the player, it might be seen as 'justice' for other perceived wrongs.

If the thing with Drouin wasn't happening right now I might not read into it as much, but we have public knowledge of at least 2 players being upset with management in Tampa in the last 3 years, and we've been hearing rumblings about Stamkos' issues with Cooper as well. I don't think it's unreasonable to think Stamkos not being dealt before the deadline is impacted by sour relations between players in Tampa and management in Tampa, especially if Stamkos was friends with either of Drouin or Martin St. Louis.

[Locke]

Yzerman seems to having some trouble down there with handling his players, particularly his stars.