Whatever it takes Stamkos is worth it. He is in a league of his own in terms of being a world class sniper. If you could somehow hybrid Bobby and Brett Hull's shots into one, Stamkos' shot wouldn't be far off from it. He is the centerpiece of this entire franchise. The Sakic to our Noridques/Avalanche, Yzerman to our Red Wings, Lemieux to our Penguins etc. That's not to compare him to any of those legends but it's a fair comparison in terms of importance to his team. As a franchise we must do everything necessary to keep him around. I think it shouldn't be too hard for him right now to want to say since he very well knows how dominant the team around him could potentially be. Every time we watch him we bear witness to greatness. Remember these years because they are what we will be looking back on. Each time he scores soak in that moment and cherish it because players like Stamkos are the great ones.
It is absolutely absurd to imagine but we've lost the two most tenured players in Lightning history in Lecavalier and St. Louis and we are actually better for it because the development of our prospects has been the best in the league for several years now.
This Thursday marks the start of a new era in Lightning hockey history. As we tread down the path to the future we will have to sacrifice and if it means a lot of money to Stamkos then we gotta do it.