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Steven Stamkos reveals reason for joining Predators and leaving Lightning

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Marvin Azrak
July 1, 2024 (5:40 PM)

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Photo credit: Sportsnet

The Tampa Bay Lightning stunned fans by letting long-time captain Steven Stamkos leave in NHL free agency.

Stamkos has signed a new four-year deal with the Nashville Predators, marking a significant change in his NHL career.

Stamkos, who has spent his entire career with the Lightning, opened up about the emotional journey of his decision.

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It's been a rollercoaster of emotions. There's so much amazing history in Tampa for my family and me, and we tried to work something out there, but we fell short.

Despite his efforts to stay with the Lightning, Stamkos realized that his future lay elsewhere.

Not by my trying, that's for sure. Once it became clear that staying in Tampa Bay wasn't an option, he and his family began considering other opportunities. Once we got past that, we were really open to the opportunity of going somewhere else.

Nashville emerged as a top contender for Stamkos and his family.

Every time we looked for things that would interest us in a new team, Nashville kept popping up. I'm thankful they had mutual interest, and we were able to get something done.

Stamkos suggested that the decision was more driven by the team's perspective than a personal one.

Depends who you ask. If you ask Tampa, maybe the door was closed a little sooner than if you ask me. You always think something is gonna work out, but this morning when I woke up, we knew we were gonna make a decision to be somewhere else.

Ultimately, the welcoming environment in Nashville made the decision easier for Stamkos.

Just to have a team show as much interest as Nashville did, from their ownership, to the GM, to their coach, to some of the players on the team that I'm familiar with, it just made us feel really special and good and made that decision that much easie.

Stamkos' move to Nashville marks a new chapter in his career and a significant shift in the NHL landscape.

As seen on Hockey Feed:Stamkos explains why he left Tampa to sign in Nashville

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1 JUILLET \| 222 ANSWERS Steven Stamkos reveals reason for joining Predators and leaving Lightning Do you think Steven Stamkos will be a good fit with the Nashville Predators?
Yes	166	74.8 %
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