Nashville, Tenn. (July 1, 2024) – Nashville Predators General Manager Barry Trotz announced today that the team has agreed to terms with forward Steven Stamkos on a four-year, $32 million contract ($8 million AAV).
“When I became GM of the Predators, I said many times that I was looking to add ‘serial winners’ to our franchise, and there is perhaps no one who fits that mold more than Steven Stamkos,” Trotz said. “We’re incredibly excited to sign a Hall of Fame player and person on what is now a massive day for the future of our organization. Having twice won the Stanley Cup as a captain, Steven is a proven winner and leader who will make us a better team on the ice with his production and in the locker room as someone for our younger players to learn from.”
Stamkos, 34 (2/7/90), is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020 and 2021) and has earned several other accolades during his 16-season NHL career, including two Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy wins (2009-10 and 2011-12) and the Mark Messier Leadership Award (2022-23). Regarded as one of the greatest scorers of his generation, Stamkos’ 555 goals are the second-most among all NHL players since his rookie season in 2008-09 and are the 30th-most in League history. He served as captain of the Lightning for the past 11 seasons and is Tampa Bay’s all-time leader in goals and points (1,137) and is second in assists (582).
In 2023-24, Stamkos recorded his seventh career 40-goal season and was third on the Lightning in points with 81 (40g-41a) in 79 games. He ranked among the NHL’s leaders in power-play goals with 19 (tied for third), goals with 40 (tied for 15th) and shots with 262 (26th), helping lead Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh consecutive campaign. During the postseason, the 6-foot-1, 193-pound forward added six points (5g-1a) in five games against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
Originally selected by Tampa Bay as the first overall pick of the 2008 NHL Draft, Stamkos had spent his entire 1,082-game career with the Lightning since debuting in 2008-09. A seven-time NHL All-Star, he is one of 18 players in NHL history to record at least seven 40-goal seasons and is one of four active skaters with at least two 50-goal campaigns. Stamkos has notched at least 10 power-play goals in 13 of his 16 NHL seasons; his 214 career goals on the man-advantage are the most in Lightning history, the second-most among all NHL players since 2008-09 and the 14th-most in NHL history.
Captaining the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020-21, Stamkos is a veteran of 128 career postseason games, recording 101 points (50g-51a), tied for the 12th-most among active NHLers. During Tampa Bay’s run to the 2020 Stanley Cup, Stamkos scored in his lone game of the postseason – Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final vs. Dallas – to earn his name on the trophy. The following campaign, he tied for third on the Lightning in playoff scoring with 18 points (8g-10a) to become the first captain to lift the Cup in back-to-back seasons since Detroit’s Steve Yzerman in 1997-98. He helped the Lightning reach the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight season in 2021-22, tying for third among all NHL players in goals with 11 before Tampa Bay ultimately fell in six games to Colorado.
Internationally, the Markham, Ont., native has represented Canada on multiple occasions, most recently in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, where he won gold. Stamkos also earned a gold medal at the 2008 World Junior Championship and took home silver in the 2009 World Championship.