The latest Steven Stamkos-to-Detroit rumor is getting the same treatment from multiple NHL insiders: a flat-out no.
What started as a report in early August from Detroit Free Press writer Carlos Monarrez has now been pushed back on by both Elliotte Friedman and David Pagnotta, who each said the Red Wings angle on Stamkos didn’t hold up.
Monarrez had written that, according to “a person of knowledge of the situation,” Chris Ilitch’s reluctance to green-light major signings cost the Red Wings “Steven Stamkos in 2024,” along with an Anthony Mantha deal that was said to be in place on the same day Yzerman’s removal was announced before falling apart during Ilitch’s deliberation.
That version of events doesn’t line up with what Friedman said on a recent episode of 32 Thoughts.
“The one thing I dispute - until someone proves to me otherwise - is the Steven Stamkos thing," Friedman began. "I heard that Nashville blew everybody out of the water.
The reason he ended up with the Predators is that they made an offer that nobody else was even close to. Are there other choices or things the Red Wings could have done?
100%. But I remember at the time that I was told that Nashville just...nobody was close to them and he ended up there."
Pagnotta backed that up this week while appearing with Colby Cohen on Morning Cuppa Hockey. Cohen first brushed aside the Stamkos chatter, and Pagnotta followed with a similar message.
"I've heard similarly that that was never really a cause for concern," Pagnotta began. "if they wanted to go out and sign Stamkos or someone else then Yzerman had the autonomy and bankroll to do it."
The pushback matters because this isn’t the first time a Red Wings rumor has been knocked down after making the rounds. This offseason alone, Helene St.
James of the Detroit Free Press reported that Dylan Larkin’s trade list included only three teams, only for Larkin to bat it away at his press conference without really clarifying much. Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff also reported in September that the Red Wings and Simon Edvinsson were “close” to an extension, and as of October 8, there’s still no clear answer on when, or if, that deal gets done.
In Monarrez’s case, though, the Stamkos reporting has drawn a skeptical reaction from the jump. He’s carved out more of a contrarian lane in Detroit media, and this latest claim appears to be another one that hasn’t held up once the league insiders weighed in.
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