The Tampa Bay Lightning are in the middle of a tough season that sees them dealing with more injuries than they've seen in recent years. Because of this, players are dealing with new linemates and most are struggling to get going. Steven Stamkos especially, is struggling compared to his stats from previous seasons. He has only 14 points in 20 games, and has a -1 +/- rating. For someone who has had a positive +/- in four of the last five seasons in the NHL, this is a concerning trend. Considering he is a free agent at season's end, it requires the Lightning to trade Stamkos.
Stamkos has been involved in trade rumors since the NHL Entry Draft, with the Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames being the two teams rumored to be asking about the 25-year old center. Despite this, Stamkos has said he has not been asked to waive his no-move clause by the team however, so the legitimacy of these rumors is still in doubt.
For the Lightning, it would be smart to ask Stamkos if he would be open to a move, because his contract ends this off-season and he could leave the team with no compensation. The team should build for the future by moving Stamkos and getting more young players that can bolster what could be an explosive team.
A team that could make a trade for Stamkos is the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings, a potential playoff team, are just not finding their stride on offense, averaging less than 26 shots per game, three and a half shots less than the league average. They also have only averaged 2.2 goals per game, almost half a goal fewer than the league average, ranking them 27th in the league. Stamkos would shoot and score more than any current Red Wings.
The Wings have a few good young players that could be the centerpieces of the deal to bring in Stamkos. Riley Sheahan and Dillon Larkin are both under the age of 23, and have shown flashes of potential that match any young forwards in the league. On defense, the Wings could potentially use Brendan Smith or Danny Dekeyser as trade bait. They are deep enough to replace these players, as they've done for years, replacing players such as Nicklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman with very good replacements like Niklas Kronwall and Pavel Datsyuk. The team needs a spark for this season, and can compete with Stamkos.
Moving forward, the Lightning can add to their impressive depth and help their future even more, but to do that they need to trade away their franchise cornerstone and offensive superstar to a contending team with depth.
