Lightning fans get some bad news about Steven Stamkos' future with the team

Earlier today the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they have re-acquired veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh from the Nashville Predators less than two years after first trading him to the Preds.

The Lightning sent a 2nd round and a 7th round pick to the Preds in exchange for McDonagh and a 4th round pick.

Check it out:

The 34 year old defenseman played 74 games with the Preds this past season, scoring three goals and 32 points. He has two years left on a contract that pays him $6.75 million per season for the next two seasons.

It's worth noting that there is no salary retention in this deal and that the Lightning are now just $5 million under the salary cap with at least five contracts to sign or re-sign this offseason. The biggest pending free agent, of course, is captain Steven Stamkos who stands to leave the team on July 1st if he and GM Julien Brisebois can't come to terms. 

Brisebois was asked today about Stamkos and... well... he gave an interesting response.

Check it out:

- Julien Brisebois

Uh... how are you going to get Stamkos under contract for less than $5 million per season?

Unless there's another move coming, I don't see Stamkos sticking around Tampa past Canada Day.

Read below for the official press release announcement from the Lightning on McDonagh's acquisition:

TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired defenseman Ryan McDonagh and the Edmonton Oilers’ fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Tampa Bay’s second-round selection in 2025 and its seventh-round pick in 2024, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.

McDonagh, 34, played in 74 games with the Predators last season, recording three goals and 32 points to rank second among Nashville defensemen. McDonagh led the Predators with a plus-19 rating and ranked second among all Nashville skaters in blocked shots (139) and average time on ice (21:47) in 2023-24. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound blueliner averaged over five blocked shots per 60 minutes (5.17) for the 12th time in his career.

A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, McDonagh has played 14 seasons in the NHL between the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay and Nashville. He has appeared in 928 NHL games, recording 76 goals and 389 points with a plus-246 rating. McDonagh was a Stanley Cup Champion with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021 and tallied one goal and 13 points during those playoff runs.

McDonagh is a former first-round draft pick (12th overall) of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2007 NHL Draft. He was twice selected as an NHL All-Star in 2016 and 2017.