for the time being, nothing has changed. As much as we would like to conjure up a multitude of trade scenarios, unless told otherwise in the days ahead, it’s believed stamkos is intent on doing what he can to help tampa bay vie for the stanley cup in june.
This isn't going to cool the speculation and desperate hope of maple leafs fans who are more than willing to wait, anticipating stamkos will arrive at air canada centre on july 1 in a blue and white limo flanked by mike babcock on one side and brendan shanahan and lou lamoriello on the other, eager to introduce their newest and perhaps most prized possession.
Nothing sparks a rebuild like convincing one of the game’s brightest stars to sign on for seven years at $12 million per to jump-start the long trek back to stanley cup contention.
Is it possible? Of course it is. Is it likely? Not when you sift through the facts stamkos is consuming as he weaves his way through the regular season, playoffs and then into a boardroom at newport sports to meticulously hammer out the contract of his career.
First of all, it's still a large assumption steve yzerman and lightning ownership won't or can't find the balance between good business and keeping stamkos, a key cog in their long-term plans. It's unlikely tampa bay will move from $8.5 million to $12 million, a figure i use in relation to the leafs because if stamkos is giving up two, three, or more contending years, he's going to get paid to do it and paid large. So, provided the lightning move a bit on the money, there's no reason to think his days in florida are numbered.
Beyond signing an extension, stamkos will obviously have multiple options if a decision is made to go to market. Teams will be packing offers creatively mapping out the financial benefits, endorsement ideas and, most importantly, convincing arguments on why stamkos is the missing piece in their stanley cup puzzle.
Toronto could be near the front of this line in terms of offers, bells and whistles, stamkos street signs, etc. However, further analysis charts their chances at this stage as remote.
When the leafs win toronto is electric, among the best playoff cities in the world. But, when things aren't going well, which has been often for this franchise over recent years, this city and market can be a cesspool.
Stalking media digging for scoops (including tsn insiders). Talk radio picking apart you, your game, your family, your lifestyle...it gets rabid. It gets ugly. In canada, it comes with the territory.
Make no mistake, balancing the long list of positives the leafs and toronto might be able to provide is the vast collection of negatives that go hand in hand. Seldom are they overlooked by unrestricted free agents in their decision making.
just because his skating is already declining. 
