The 2024 NHL free agent market relatively barren compared to previous seasons, but there are a few interesting names at the top of the food chain that could be in search of a new team this summer, with the highlight being Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos. The franchise icon is now 34 years old, and the Bolts have worked themselves into quite the cap situation as they attempt to keep their Stanley Cup window open. It has led to speculation that Stamkos could be on the move after 16 seasons in Tampa as he gets ready to plays out the last few seasons of his career.
From the perspective of the Philadelphia Flyers, Stamkos poses one of the most intriguing options in the name of upgrades. He may not necessarily fit in with the pseudo-youth movement that the team is in the middle of, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be a welcomed addition to a team in desperate need of some forward help.
First and foremost, Stamkos’ age means that a long-term deal is highly unlikely. At 34 years old, he probably has three or four seasons left in the tank, and that’s assuming he doesn’t go out on top before his production falls off a cliff. A short-term deal, say, two years could be perfect for the Flyers.
In a sense, the Flyers are very much treading water until Matvei Michkov is scheduled to show up in 2026-27. They’ve worked themselves into a sticky enough financial situation in the meantime, and if they were to sign someone like 28-year-old Sam Reinhart, the other notable forward still unsigned by his club, it just muddies the waters further. Adding someone like Stamkos on a two-year deal means there’s a clear end date and no long-term gambling or implications.
It’s going to come with a high cap hit, even potentially higher than his current $8.5 million he’s on now. But if Stamkos actually hits the open market, every team in the league will throw their hat in his ring and a high AAV is just the cost of doing business.
Even at his age, Stamkos remains one of the best forwards in the league. He posted 39 goals and 78 points in 2023-24, and is just two seasons removed from a 104-point campaign in 2021-22. It’s true that he’d be coming to a group of players with significantly less talent that Tampa currently has, so repeating that level of scoring may be nearly impossible, but he’d be a much needed spark plug to get the most out of the pillars of the roster the Flyers are seemingly building around.
Stamkos is primarily playing left wing at this point in his career, so imagine him on a line with Morgan Frost and Tyson Foerster, or partnered with Travis Konecny. They’re just about guaranteed to take drastic steps forward in their own development.
And his assistance wouldn’t just be at even strength, the seven-time all-star knows a thing or two about powerplay success as well. 39 of his 78 points this season came on the man advantage, and 422 of his career 1,134 points were scored on the powerplay.
The Flyers’ powerplay, on the other hand, is eyeing its third consecutive dead last finish at a measly 12 percent. Is Stamkos alone going to take them to the top? Of course not. Should he at least be able to drag these dolts to a reasonable increase in PP production? Yes.
And if the Flyers aren’t sold on silly offensive stats or saving their miserable powerplay, well Stamkos may bring some assets to the table that does interest Danny Briere and John Tortorella have, and that’s pulling at their culture-based heart strings.
Stamkos has served as captain of the Lightning for 10 years now. He led them to two Stanley Cups and won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2022-23 and is considered one of the best leaders in the game today. These are the kind of stats that are more up the Flyers’ alley these days.
They can’t pull the “this guy won’t fit the culture” argument the organization and fanbase will surely try to craft with most other players. He’d be a far bigger help to the culture than band-aids like Erik Johnson or Marc Staal ever could. And he can still play hockey at a high level, too! Believe it or not those are two qualities that can be mutually exclusive.
Whether or not Steven Stamkos actually leaves Tampa Bay may still be up in the air, but if he does indeed make it to the free agent market, the Flyers need to heavily consider doing what it takes to land him in Philadelphia. The short term commitment, the potent offense and the decade-long history of leadership should check all the boxes when it comes to what the Flyers are searching for.
He may not be the young building block the Flyers truly need right now, but if he can help the team get over the hump as the organization passes the time until Matvei Michkov shows up in 2026-27 and can impart some of his unmatched knowledge to the younger players already on the roster along the way, this group will be better because of it.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nbcsports.com
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