Steven Stamkos closer than ever to leave the Tampa Bay Lightning

The Bolts were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round and since then, fans have been wondering what would happen with Steven Stamkos.

At the last game of the series, Stamkos truly looked like a guy who knew he was playing his last agme with the Lightning: he certainly soaked it all in before returning to the locker room:

Let's face it, it'll be complicated for the Bolts' general manager Julien BriseBois to keep him, especially with all the new acquisitions.

Yesterday, the Lightning completed a trade with the Nashville Predators, and ended up with Ryan McDonagh and his $6,750,000 AAV contract. Following that move, Tampa now has 19 of 23 active roster spaces filled and only $4.14M available on the salary cap, which could come in the way of Stamkos staying in Tampa.

Stamkos could interest many teams on the market if he ends up without a contract come July 1st, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings or Montreal Canadiens.

Do you think Steven Stamkos will sign a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning?

Source: Maple Leafs Daily - Stamkos one step closer to potentially joining the Leafs