Nashville Predators

After 16 seasons and two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Steven Stamkos is leaving for Nashville.

Steven Stamkos signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Nashville Predators in free agency, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Stamkos took to social media on Monday to share a message to Tampa:

Stamkos previously expressed frustration that the Lightning had not begun contract negotiations before the 2023-24 season, per NHL.com's Corey Long.

Stamkos' agent told TSN's Pierre LeBrun on June 28 that Stamkos planned to hit free agency on July 1. Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois confirmed the news the following day, per NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin.

Unlike in 2016, when the Lightning signed Stamkos to a long-term deal two days before free agency, the parties were not able to compromise before he hit the open market.

Stamkos will now join the Predators after recording 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games last season.

The campaign marked his sixth point-per-game season in seven years, as well as the seventh 40-goal season of his career.

Stamkos' previous eight-year, $68 million deal with the Lightning expired following the team's five-game elimination by the Florida Panthers in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. The Lightning captain led his team with five goals in five games during the first-round series.

The 34-year-old sharpshooter is sure to be a huge boost to Nashville's offense.

Stamkos was a key part of the reason the Lightning finished the regular season with the most effective power play in the NHL. He recorded 39 of his points (19 goals, 20 assists) on the man advantage thanks to his lethal one-timer.

That shot is one of the reasons Stamkos has been able to establish himself as one of the most prolific scorers in NHL history during his first 17 seasons with the Lightning.

Stamkos finished the 2023-24 season as one of six active NHL players with more than 1,100 career points. He trails only the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby as the league's most prolific active scorer with 555 career goals.

Stamkos entered the league with the Lightning as the No. 1 pick of the 2008 draft and has since skated in 1,082 regular-season and 128 playoff games for Tampa Bay.

Although his jersey will certainly be retired someday by the Lightning, Stamkos could become part of another franchise's history by helping lead Nashville on a playoff run in 2025.

The Nashville Predators and goaltender Juuse Saros have agreed to an eight-year extension worth $7.74 million per year, according to The Athletic's Chris Johnston and Hunter Patterson.

Saros plans to sign the deal when he becomes extension-eligible on July 1, Johnston and Patterson reported.

The 29-year-old is currently signed through 2024-25. His new deal is set to keep him in Nashville through the 2033-34 campaign.

Saros has played nine seasons with the Predators, including three as their undisputed starter, since Nashville drafted him in 2013. He has led the NHL in starts, saves and shots against for the past two seasons.

Saros earned a 35-24-5 record through 64 starts for the Predators last season as he faced an NHL-high 1,845 shots against. He stopped 1,672 shots to mark a .906 save percentage and 2.86 goals-against average.

Those numbers, which marked a down year for a goaltender with a save percentage of .918 or above in each of the three seasons prior, still allowed Saros to backstop the Predators into the playoffs.

Nashville has every reason to hope Saros will bounce back in 2024-25. Since Pekka Rinne's retirement in 2021, he has been a consistently strong performer while taking on one of the heaviest goaltending workloads in the NHL.

No goaltender has made more than Saros' 194 regular-season starts over that span, over which the Predators netminder has averaged a .915 save percentage and 2.73 goals-against average.

Saros has accordingly finished top-six in Vezina Trophy voting in each of the past four seasons.

The goaltender's consistency and ability to stay healthy has been a central part of the reason the Predators have qualified for the playoffs in two of the last three seasons.

Although the term of the extension is somewhat a risk for the Predators, the Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup win in front of 35-year-old stalwart Sergei Bobrovsky proved the value of long-term deals for proven goaltenders.

Nashville now has its star trio of Saros, Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi signed through at least the 2027-28 season.

Having not made it past the first round since 2018, and last vying for a title during their 2017 run to the Stanley Cup Final, the Predators will now hope to retool into a contender around this core.

The Nashville Predators missed the playoffs by three points last season and are actively looking for the pieces to help them return to the postseason. One such piece is Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who the Preds are interested in acquiring per Michael Gallagher.

The Predators need help at the center position. Ryan Johansen is now a member of the Colorado Avalanche, leaving Nashville with a void in the position.

New Predators general manager Barry Trotz is familiar with Kuznetsov having coached him in Washington when the team captured the Stanley Cup at the conclusion of the 2018 season and knows what to expect from the Russian competitor.

He raved in a post-game press conference that season, "Kuzy has elevated his game. It's not surprising when you see his ability, his I.Q., his skill level, and now he's brought that pride of playing in really tough games (to) the most meaningful games you can play in. He's been outstanding."

The 2022-23 season was a forgettable one for Kuznetsov, whose frustration with the Capitals performance on the ice was apparent in his own play, which was one of the worst of his 10-year NHL career.

Goals, assists, points and shooting percentage were all down and general manager Brian MacLellan verbalized his disappointment in Kuznetsov's play. As if that was not enough, the player has twice requested a trade from the team.

Kuznetsov has two years and $16 million left on his contract with Washington so Nashville would have to recognize that and be willing to take on the cap hit but if so, the team would be acquiring a quality second-wave center who can win face-offs and at his best, is a 70-80-point contributor.

To return to prominence in a Western Conference that includes Stanley Cup champions the Vegas Golden Knights and contenders like Edmonton, Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota and Los Angeles, the Predators will need all the depth they can get.

Kuznetsov provides that and on top of that, has a history with Trotz, who should be able to work with coach Andrew Brunette to maximize what the veteran player has to offer.