Steven Stamkos file: 'Montreal is the most logical team if he leaves Tampa'.

Indeed, Rosen’s article states that it’s not certain that the Lightning captain will remain in Tampa.

Should the Lightning lose in the first round again this year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team’s management make a few changes to rejuvenate the team, which would send Stamkos to the free agent market.

Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy would remain the core of the team, while Stamkos would surely join a young team that will soon aspire to the big time.

And that’s where Rosen comes up with the logical idea of the Montreal Canadiens.

In his opinion, Stamkos would be an excellent fit for the Habs, who could really benefit from the addition of a top-6 forward with a lot of experience and leadership.

The Habs need goals, and Stamkos, despite being 34, scored 40 again this season.

His 81 points in 79 games would have put Stamkos at the top of the Habs scoring charts.

Add to this the fact that Habs head coach Martin St-Louis once played with Stamkos, and the two men are still very close.

In short, Montreal would be the most logical option according to Rosen, should Stamkos ever become a free agent.

The Tampa Bay Lightning captain could clearly be tempted to play in a hockey city as mythical as Montreal, while reuniting with his good friend Martin St-Louis.

It’s a story to keep an eye on.

En Rafale

– Not to be missed today.

– Benoit seems to have found his place in Toronto.

– The TD Garden holds many bad memories for the Maple Leafs.

– Quite a story.