Steven Stamkos inducted in elite scorers group, Tampa Bay Lightning still struggling -NHL Special
The chart of Tampa Bay’s young superstar forward, Steven Stamkos, continues to reach new heights and set records in the National Hockey League (NHL) as the player was inducted in the elite scoring group by becoming the fifth player in history to register
three 40-goal seasons prior to his 23rd birthday.
“It’s nice,” Stamkos said. “You kind of set some personal goals before the season. To get that again in a big win at this time of year just makes it even more special.”
Stamkos’ 40th of the 2011-2012 NHL regular season came during their Saturday night matchup against the Washington Capitals on February 19, 2012, which they managed to win 2-1, but despite all that record setting, the Tampa Bay Lightning still
remain as one of the lowest ranked clubs at the moment.
Whatever the reason may be for the Tampa Bay team performing at all time lows compared to their record in the previous season, Stamkos believes that they will eventually make a comeback.
“The only thing that we know right now is we can’t control what goes on with management,” Stamkos said. “They have a plan. Just because there’s been a couple trades doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop playing with that winning mentality that we all know.”
The Lightning are currently standing at number 11 in the Eastern Conference with 58 points and still are in need of six points to tie eighth place Toronto Maple Leafs, who hold on to the last playoff spot. It might not seem as big of an achievement, but
looking at the intense competition, it is not as easy as it might seem.
Drafted as the first overall pick during the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Stamkos is currently in his fourth consecutive season with his original team. Having played 58 games up until now, it seems as if Stamkos will once against reach
the 50 plus goals milestone he set back during the 2009-2010 season.
There are no doubts in Stamkos’ abilities as a player, but is Tampa Bay benefitting from one of the highest paid players in the league or not is the main question that remains to be answered and the Lightning management is certainly not the ones who are
willing to do so.
We witnessed how important Stamkos was to the franchise, which has made him the face of the club, as rumours spread throughout the nation during the 2011 offseason that Tampa Bay was having difficulty in retaining the player. But signing a huge $37.5 million
contract to retain him, at a time when he was only coming out of his three-year entry-level deal, the club showed their desperation.
There is a little over a month left till the end of the season and this time is definitely desperation for a majority of the clubs around the league as they struggle for positioning.
The way Tampa Bay is currently playing, seeing them above that postseason divisional line is becoming a distant dream with every passing day.
Lightning recently traded their two players, centre Dominic Moore and defenseman Pavel Kubina, not for players, but for future draft picks and a minor league forward, Jon Kalinski. This move has its suspicions but goes to show that the club is heading in
the right direction as they hope for better acquisitions in the future.
What Tampa Bay is focused on at the moment is still unclear, but it seems as if they have put their money down on the upcoming talent instead of worrying about the present.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: