Steven Stamkos opens up on his ‘difficult’ Lightning exit and Predators transition

TORONTO — If ever there was more proof needed that the NHL isn’t a video game, the 2024-25 Nashville Predators provided it.

What looks good on paper doesn’t always translate to the ice.

And nobody wore that more than Steven Stamkos, if only because of how much he cares and how much he puts on himself. Stamkos’ first year in Nashville was a difficult experience.

The NHL may not be a video game, but clicking the reset button is still an option, and that’s what Stamkos wants to do this season. And so does his entire team.

“Last year was last year,” Stamkos told The Athletic on Tuesday. “We talked about it as a group and decided that it was in the rear view. … We talked about expectations last year — the start wasn’t where we wanted it, and it snowballed and just got off the rails. This year, there was more excitement going to camp with maybe less expectations and just the mentality of whatever happens, leave it in the past and let’s just move forward.

“We don’t know what that’s going to be, but let’s come in with a newfound energy. And I think our group has done that. It hasn’t been perfect to start the year, but we’re in a much better position than we were last year.”

Pretty much anything beats the 0-5 start from a year ago — a hole the Preds could never dig themselves out of.

It was a stunning chain of events, given the euphoria of July 1, 2024, when Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei all signed with a Preds team fresh off a surprising playoff appearance.

The adjustment to all the new faces proved difficult. Things just didn’t jell. And for Stamkos, who had spent all 16 of his previous seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the transition was a challenge both on and off the ice. Even the smallest everyday things that were second nature in Tampa became more difficult.

“When you’re in one place for so long, there’s so many things that you just do that’s almost, you’re unconscious to the little things that happen that maybe help prepare you to play,” said Stamkos, who scored 27 goals and 53 points — his lowest totals in a season with more than 38 games since his rookie year, 2008-09. “You’ve played with the same players for so long, the chemistry — you don’t think about that stuff because you just go out and play and it happens. And that was years in the making.

“In a new situation, it’s certainly difficult, the family aspect of it, the off-ice aspect of it — all those things that you don’t really think about when you’re making that snap decision in free agency. But sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. And last year, it didn’t work for our group. There’s nothing you can do about that now.”

After the season, he came home to the Greater Toronto Area to work with Gary Roberts, as per usual, then returned to Nashville with his wife and kids as school started. This time, it felt more normal.

“I just think coming back to Nashville, this time around, was so much easier with the kids already established in school,” Stamkos said. “And their sports are set up. The house is there. You just turn the key and walk in and everything is ready. You know where you’re going. I was always the guy that had all the answers in Tampa, and then last year I had all the questions. Now you have more answers than questions after spending a year. That helps from a mental standpoint.”

Stamkos and his wife, Sandra, kept their house in Tampa. Who knows what life will hold once the 35-year-old’s playing career is over?

“We don’t know exactly what the plan is going to be,” he said.

He did go back to Tampa for one week after the season. And guess who he ended up skating with?

“I skated for Kuch,” smiled Stamkos, referring to Nikita Kucherov. “You know Kuch. It was like 10 days after they lost in the playoffs, we were texting back and forth, and he said he was going back on the ice, and I said I was going to be in town for the week with my wife and kids, so I skated with Kuch, and it was nice. Because it was the offseason, it didn’t feel weird.”

Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos were teammates for 11 years with the Lightning. (Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)

He caught up with Lightning friends and non-Lightning friends while in Tampa. But that was it. One week.

Is there still a part of his heart in Tampa? Of course. You don’t wash away 16 years like that.

Did he regret his decision to sign in Nashville, as many have mused on social media?

“The people that are asking that question are also the people that were picking the Nashville Predators to go to the Stanley Cup Final, right?” he said. “We all thought something was going to happen, and it didn’t. We all thought that Nashville had a great year (two seasons ago) and made the playoffs, we added some really good players and important pieces, and we were just going to build on that. I mean, yeah, you make a decision not because you think you’re going to fail. You’re making that decision because you think you’re going to be part of something that’s going to grow into something successful.

“Once you make that decision, there’s no going back on it. It was a disappointing year, for sure. But it is what it is. I think the Tampa situation is in the rear-view mirror.”

It clearly still hurts, though, how it all went down — how a franchise that meant everything to him didn’t make a stronger effort to keep him around. The Lightning’s final offer was an eight-year deal with a $3 million average annual value, and Stamkos signed for four years at an $8 million AAV in Nashville.

“Things went a direction that I never thought was even possible, if I’m going to be honest,” Stamkos said. “And you’ve got to live with that. And I’m in a much better place now than I was last year with that decision. You talk to (Marchessault) and (Skjei), when you’re in a place and a successful franchise for a long time, no one wants to leave that situation. If you ask the players, they all want to stay there the rest of their career and be part of that. From a player’s perspective, in those situations, you get a taste of the business aspect of it. It’s much harder on the players than it is on the franchise to move on from those situations because of your family and your ties and your teammates.

“Those people that are making those decisions, they’re not in the battle with you. They’re not the ones that have to move their family and their life. So it’s difficult in that regard. But you make those decisions and you live with those decisions.”

He paused before adding, “If you ask all of us that made those big transitions last year, we’re in a much better place this time around. And that’s just time and experience.”

Other former NHL captains have told me over the years that you don’t walk into a new dressing room and immediately start throwing your leadership weight around. That comes with time. Stamkos agreed.

“You’re coming into a situation you’re unfamiliar with, and you don’t know the dynamics yet,” he said. “You’re trying to fit in yourself. Yeah, you had a role and a comfort level somewhere else because that was established over time, respect and experience. When you come in here, you still have that respect and experience, but you don’t have that time with that group yet. And it takes time. It’s not something that happens overnight. You’ve got to get to really know the guys.

“Especially as a veteran leadership guy, you have to know what works or doesn’t work with some guys. You’ve got to feel guys out. You need to go through some tough times and good times to see how guys react.

“I’m much more comfortable in that regard this season.”

Stamkos sounds like he’s in a better place. And his team, off to a 2-1-1 start, is flying under the radar this time around.

“Expectations from the outside are probably not as high,” he said. “But let’s embrace that underdog role and go with it.”

One message from general manager Barry Trotz to Stamkos after last season was that he has a great opportunity to leave an imprint on the team’s youngsters as the Predators continue their roster evolution. That could be part of Stamkos’ legacy in Nashville.

And what does the future hold after his playing career? That’s still a ways away, but anyone who has been around Stamkos over the years knows he has a hockey-computer brain. He’s got future NHL team executive written all over him.

Could we see him back with Tampa one day in that capacity?

“Being in a role one day and helping a team? Absolutely, I would want to do that,” Stamkos said. “Which role, I’m not sure yet. I have three young kids, and I want to be around and part of that. I certainly wouldn’t want to live that same lifestyle that I’m living right now. Not to say I won’t down the road. You want to be around as a father.”

“But with regard to what team that would be? That would be completely up in the air,” he added, choosing his words carefully. “Some of that would probably not be my decision, right? I don’t think I have an answer for you in that regard quite yet.

So you can’t rule it out. Perhaps a reunion in Tampa will be in the cards one day, when time heals more wounds.