REPORT | Stamkos was almost traded to a Metropolitan Division team: Blockbuster catastrophe avoided
The Tampa Bay Lightning reportedly almost traded Steven Stamkos during his sophomore campaign in 2010.
During his second season in the National Hockey League, the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers agreed to a trade involving Steven Stamkos, but it ended up being vetoed by the Lightning's co-owner.
If the trade had gone through, the Tampa Bay Lightning would have received two or three of the following players they wanted: Michael Del Zotto, Evgeny Grachev, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and Dan Girardi.
A trade of this magnitude would have changed the landscape of the National Hockey League for a number of years and it's possible that the Lightning may not have won the Stanley Cup in 2020 or 2021, potentially even both.
Five years after this trade was proposed, agreed on and eventually vetoed, the Lightning and Rangers met in the Eastern Conference Final. The Lightning took the series in seven games, moving on to face the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final, but if the trade went through, there's a chance that the script would have flipped and the Rangers would've won the series.
Source: New York Post
| POLL | ||
If Stamkos was traded to New York, would they have won a Stanley Cup? | ||
| Yes | 124 | 33.2 % |
| No | 222 | 59.4 % |
| See Results | 28 | 7.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
