So now Steven Stamkos has been signed to a five year, 37.5 million dollar deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. What is this ultimately going to mean for your fantasy team going forward? Well at some point Martin St. Louis will retire, we think. All kidding aside Stamkos had 45 goals and 17 of them were on the man advantage. He also had 91 points on the year and even though he fizzled a bit late, Stamkos was one game away from the Stanley Cup Finals this year and better things seem to be on the horizon.
The last two years has seen Stamkos tally 186 points and 96 goals along the way. Even last year, he had 36 points on the man advantage despite some lengthy stuggles. He was even listed as a “fantasy turkey” twice last year. Stamkos had three stretches of four or more games where he was completely pointless.
Yes there was that torrid stretch where it felt like everything Stamkos shot or passed wound up in the net. Stamkos had 21 goals after November 24th which was one of the most torrid stretches in years. The funny thing is Sidney Crosby’s 50 points in 25 games just a bit later in the season would eclipse the early brilliance of Stamkos. Yet that does not diminish the potential of a guy who is only 21 years old. Needless to say there are many years left in the #1 pick’s career.
There are things that Stamkos has to improve on no question to be a perennial 100 point scorer in the National Hockey League. It is not an easy feat to accomplish either considering only one player (Daniel Sedin) did the deed in the 2010-11 season. That being said Crosby was well on his way before injury and Stamkos was well on his way before inconsistency got in his way or youth pains as some would like to call it.
With the new deal in place, Stamkos will want to earn it quick. Unlike most players who are satisfied the payday, this is a deal that almost sets up for a mega payday down the road. Remember what Crosb and Ovechkin signed for in their second deals and contrast it to Stamkos and there you have it. He is going to want to prove his worth each and every single night.
WHO THIS HELPS?
1. Marty St. Louis
2. Fantasy Owners
3. Vincent Lecavalier
WHO THIS HURTS:
1. Opposing goalies
2. GM’s who do not have Stamkos
3. The person who came up with that “Seen Stamkos” ad.
Yes we are sorry for the bad attempt at humor there but the reality is with a top player like Stamkos, really there are no fantasy negative impacts for actual players. Think about what Stamkos does overall…a 50 goal guy who can fire around 300 shots on net while the potential is still sky high. That has to be a scary good thought for fantasy owners. Barring injury, he is a guy who could be a 50-60 goal guy for seasons to come.
While we will not completely give it a way as to what Stamkos could do fantasy wise in the 2011-12 season, we will give an inkling at the very least.
Will we see a 100 point season out of Steven Stamkos? That answer is undoubtedly yes. We mean this year by the way. It could be even a 110 point season or more based on the play of Marty St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, and the upscale tempo that Tampa plays. Let us have it fantasy fans.
