Lightning fans react to Steven Stamkos’ departure: ‘I await your statue’

It’s official: Steven Stamkos will not spend his entire NHL career in a Lightning sweater.

On Monday, the longtime captain — who started his career with Tampa Bay in 2008 — signed a four-year contract with the Nashville Predators as the free-agency period got underway.

For more than a decade and a half, Stamkos was the face of the Lightning. His accolades and honors include two Stanley Cup championships, two “Rocket” Richard Trophies as the NHL’s goal-scoring leader, seven All-Star appearances and numerous franchise records.

Stamkos’ departure was all but sealed after he and the team were unable to come to an agreement on another deal just before the start of free agency, which led to his decision to test the market.

On Monday, the Lightning signed top free-agent Jake Guentzel to a seven-year deal worth an average annual value of $9 million, the largest salary for an offseason addition in franchise history.

Here’s how Stamkos and others reacted to the news on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

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