It was that he didn't even meet with them. It wasn't that Stamkos turned the Red Wings down.
And his decision feels like the nail in the coffin of the team's championship allure. But he is the biggest, without a doubt, and the most disappointing. Stamkos isn't the first star the Wings have missed out on. When guys like Dominik Hasek, Brett Hull and, later, Marian Hossa all chose to sign with the Wings – often turning down more money elsewhere – it made sense.ĭetroit's competitive reputation has waned in recent years, and it's been reflected in free agency. The team's existing foundation of talent and its Hall of Fame coach was all GM Ken Holland needed in the way of a recruiting pitch. There was a period, in the late '90s and early 2000s, when Detroit was the go-to destination for Cup-coveting players. But the Wings had their history to fall back on, their time-honored tendency to compete for the Stanley Cup.īy spurning the Wings, by neglecting to even hear their pitch, Stamkos turned 'time-honored' into 'time-worn.' Though the Sabres and Maple Leafs were presumed to be in the running for Stamkos, they didn't have much to offer besides a lot of money and the probably-overhyped opportunity for him to play close to home. The 26-year-old center, who has come tantalizingly close to winning the Stanley Cup in recent years, signed with the team that gives him the best chance to complete that mission.Īnd that's why this has to sting for Wings' fans, more so than it might for fans in, say, Buffalo or Toronto. That may have lessened the allure of unrestricted free agency, but Stamkos' decision doesn't feel like one guided by financial factors.
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