Sniper on the loose

Steven Stamkos will be entering what will be is last year of his contract. Signed in 2011, Stamkos contract has seen him hit the cap at an average of $7.5 millions per year but will only pay him $5.5 millions during the next season (generalfanager.com).

It is in Steve Yzerman's best interest to sign his best player before the start of the season. Would stomachs really play at $5.5M, the same amount as Dave Bolland. Stamos is worth way more then $5.5M.

Being the face of the Tampa Bay franchise, it would be surprising to see Stamkos start the season without a new contract.

Agent Don Meehan has already stated that talks with the Tampa organization are part of his client agenda, but they have yet to meet.

Steve Yzerman has reassured the Lightning's fan base saying that signing Stamkos was his first priority, according to NHL.com.

"We’ve got some other restricted free agents and other contracts we have to do, but that’s the No. 1 priority,"

In the meanwhile, we can speculate on how much Steven Stamkos will command in salary for the next couple of years. What about $9.5M to $10M?

Or we can speculate if Stamkos will ever wear the Maple Leafs uniform sooner rather than later.