Has Steven Stamkos played in his final game for Lightning following first-round playoff loss against Panthers?

The 34-year-old is currently not thinking about it. Following the 6-1 loss at the Amerant Bank Arena, Steven Stamkos claimed this thought “never crossed” his mind.

No, that never crossed my mind. I’m out there battling to try to help our team win regardless at the end of the game. We’re trying to score and there’s some pride on the line for our group, so no. Steven Stamkos said as per Bally Sports Sun: Lightning

The two-time Stanley Cup champion led his team against the Florida Panthers with five goals in the five games. After the loss on Monday, he was the last player from the Tampa Bay Lightning to leave the field. This ignited speculations regarding his future.

Steven Stamkos previously expressed frustrations with Lightning over new contract talks

Prior to the start of the 2023-24 season, the Tampa Bay Lightning knew Steven Stamkos’ contract will be up at the end of the season. Despite this, the team did not start any contract talks with him which left him frustrated.

The 34-year-old star claimed that he had been pushing the team for this talks. He would even express his desire to finish his career at this franchise.

To be honest, I’ve been disappointed in the lack of talk in that regard. It was something that I expressed at the end of last year, that I wanted to get something done before training camp started. There haven’t been any conversations… I stated at the end of last year, too, I would love to extend and play here and finish out my career here, but that’s out of my hands. I can’t write the contract myself.

Steven Stamkos said as per NHL.com.

Only time will now tell what is next in store for Stamkos. He can re-join the Lightning if both he and General Manager Julien BriseBois can come to an agreement. If he does not end up re-signing with the team, then there are several teams who could pick him on a free transfer and add his valuable experience and leadership to their team.