I would guess he's gone. Stamkos seemed a bit anxious about his contract last September and obviously now he'll be more so. The Lightning, as a franchise, have reached the point where they probably need to let some vets age gracefully or move on while elevating the ice-time of younger guys.
The one complicating factor, maybe, is that Stamkos is team captain and, so far, a kind of franchise player. (He's also the leading goal scorer -- by a landslide -- and point-scorer in franchise history.) That kind of player deservedly gets some sensitive ego-massaging, I would hope...
But anyway, my guess is he's gone. Where's he gonna go? I don't think Toronto is likely, as their recent experiments with bringing in high-profile veterans were busts. Maybe if Marner leaves, all that cap-space is open and they'd think about it...
So, who knows? I'll take a wild guess and say he goes to some club in the west, like Seattle or Vegas.
