Breaking: Stamkos Chooses Own Happiness Over Playing In His Hometown
By Jon Steitzer
9 years agoAt 1:33 PM on Friday, January 23, 2015 the dream of Steven Stamkos playing for the Leafs officially died and Pierre LeBrun killed it.
Many of us were patiently waiting for Stamkos to be that bonafide 2C who could play behind Bozak, but no more. Stamkos has opted to spit in the face of his family and friends and discard his hometown with the same amount of consideration one gives an empty Tim Horton’s cup and for what? This?
Is this really a better alternative than having David Clarkson on your wing for the next five years?
“Obviously July 1 you can announce a deal and something hopefully similar to what [Patrick] Kane and [Jonathan] Toews did, sometime after July 1. It’s a long ways away. I’m not really focused on that. We haven’t really talked about that at all. We’ll discuss that in the summertime, but I’m obviously very happy with where I am in Tampa. You see the team we’ve been able to develop the past couple of years, the ownership we have, obviously [general manager] Steve Yzerman, the coaching staff, the young nucleus of the team. I feel like the old fart at 24, all these guys coming in here, but they’ve played extremely well and I want to be part of it, to say I was there from the beginning to see the end result.” (via Lebrun)
It’s almost like this meant nothing
Good riddance. Who needs him? There are plenty of other people who would love to play here like…
ANZE KOPITAR
Consider how this might play out. The Leafs need a coach, Kopitar’s father is a coach. Who wouldn’t want to win a championship with their Dad? The Leafs have already poached former teammates Jonathan Bernier, Matt Frattin, and Brandon Kozun away from the Kings organization and are rumoured to be in the market for Mike Richards as well. He’d be able to come to Toronto without missing a beat. Plus, after winning a cup in L.A. you know he’s that much hungrier to win a championship in a real hockey market.
Plus he’s clearly a Jays fan…
You know that Tim Leiweke had to have had the ball rolling on this even prior to leaving L.A. so I’m sure we can expect big things in the summer of 2016, or possibly Lombardi sees the writing on the wall and will deal him to the Leafs this summer so he doesn’t walk for nothing (this is probably more likely because Lombardi is a good GM.)
Sit tight Leafs fans, help is clearly on the way in 2016. It might not be who we originally thought, but we’ll take him.
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