Former Lightning Teammate Was ‘Surprised’ Steven Stamkos Left Tampa Bay

Steven Stamkos shocked the hockey world when he signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Nashville Predators on July 1.

Stamkos left the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he played for 16 seasons and was captain for 10 years. He helped lead the team to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, but the franchise icon left the team this summer.

The move surprised many, and one player who was surprised was his former teammate Alex Killorn, who left the Lightning in free agency the year prior.

“I definitely was surprised to see him leave,” Killorn said in an interview with Heavy.com. “I think with my situation, it made a little bit more sense. But, with him being the player that he is, how much he’s accomplished, and how much he’s meant to that Lightning organization, it was surprising. I mean, I had talked to him all summer. I think he was hopeful something was going to get done.

“He was kind of in the same situation as me and it just never happened,” Killorn added. “But I’m happy for him. He got a great contract and I think in the end he’ll be happy. He saw a different way, a different team and he had so many good memories in Tampa, but now he can make some different ones in Nashville.”

Killorn and Stamkos played with each other for 12 seasons and both envisioned retiring in Tampa Bay. However, Killorn says the business of hockey and the salary cap forced the Lightning to go in a different direction.

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Killorn Wanted to Re-Sign With The Lightning

Killorn was selected by Tampa Bay in the 2007 NHL draft. He played 11 seasons with the Lightning and was a fan favorite.

In the summer of 2023, as he was a free agent, Killorn knew his time in Tampa Bay was likely over. But, he says he was holding out hope something could get done.

“Yeah, I mean, with Tampa, I was so attached to, I wanted to be a Lightning forever,” Killorn said. “It was really important to me. It was, and you always in your mind or optimistic that something’s going to get done even in the, you know, 24th hour, it’s just the reality of our NHL right now in the cap. It’s just so tough to sign guys, especially older guys, to market deals or whatever you want to call it.

“So, I was actually hopeful the whole way. But, it just, in my mind, I kind of knew that it probably wasn’t going to. I think Stammer kind of went through it this summer where you’re super optimistic,” Killorn added. “It’s just, it’s just very difficult to get those numbers in a cap world.”

Killorn ended up signing a four-year $25 million deal with the Anaheim Ducks.

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Killorn Explains Decision to Sign With Anaheim

Once Killorn knew re-signing with Tampa Bay was out of the picture, he signed with the Ducks.

Although Anaheim was a rebuilding team, he felt like it was a great spot for him personally as well as professionally.

“I had Pat Verbeek, who’s a GM in Anaheim,” Killorn said. “He was the assistant GM in Tampa. So there was a little bit of familiarity there, but there was also a ton of talent coming up in the ranks. You look at our team today, there’s I think we have like 10 guys that are under 23. It’s kind of crazy to think about.

“I also loved, when you get older, you start to look at lifestyle things, and living in Newport Beach, that area was something that attracted me,” Killorn added. “It seems like we’re building something special here. It’s a lot different of a situation than I was in Tampa with a younger team. Alot more emphasis on development and making sure these young guys are going to become great players. But, it’s something that’s been a lot of fun.”

In his first season with the Ducks, Killorn recorded 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points in 63 games.

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