FYI- The Lightning play in Toronto tonight, morning skate was canceled.

from Damien Cox of Sportsnet,

Stamkos would be a marquee name for a franchise that isn’t attracting as many eyeballs on TV as it once did. So you have to believe, with Rogers ($5.2 billion invested in national NHL rights) and Bell (broadcasters of 50 per cent of Leaf regional games) making the decision, that will matter for something.

He’s also only 25, which means by his 30th birthday, players like Nylander and Marner will be approaching their prime years. A seven-year contract, the max any team other than Tampa could offer, would be more than half over.

Unlike their pursuit of Mike Babcock in which the Leafs simply blew everyone else out of the water with an unprecedented $50 million offer, Toronto is restricted to some degree by the salary cap. Still, would they be inclined to make Stamkos the highest paid player in the game, the first $14 million annual cap hit?

And even if they were so inclined, is he worth that money? Is anyone?

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