Stamkos savors ‘really cool’ experience of Predators debut

NASHVILLE -- It was there, on his stick, in the waning moments. With 15 seconds left and the Nashville Predators down by a goal on Thursday, Steven Stamkos got the puck in the left circle with a chance to be the new hero the packed crowd at Bridgestone Arena was hoping he would be, the hero he has been so many times before -- just in a different sweater.

The puck rang off the post. The Predators lost, 4-3, to the Dallas Stars.

It was not the ending that Stamkos would have written for himself, not the perfect debut that he might have wanted. Still, it was a memorable night for Stamkos, who before the game led his three kids down the gold carpet and into their new lives.

Then, he took the ice. It was Game No. 1,083 for Stamkos. Game No. 1 not in a Tampa Bay Lightning jersey.

“You hope in these situations you win, but you only get one first game with a new team,” Stamkos said. “Would have much preferred a win, but it was a great atmosphere out there and a cool experience for my family and I.

“I’m looking forward to better results in the future. Should be a good year.”

Before Thursday night, Stamkos had played the entirety of his career for the Lightning, ever since being taken No. 1 in the 2008 NHL Draft. He had totaled 1,137 points (555 goals, 582 assists), winning the Stanley Cup twice.

Now, at 34, he was beginning again. For the first time since his rookie year.

Once Scott Wedgewood, the night’s starting goalie, had skated onto the ice, Stamkos emerged, by himself, sans helmet. He skated a loop and dropped to the ice to stretch near the right face-off circle, followed after a beat by the rest of the Predators team.

He tossed pucks to kids, talked to his own, while surrounded by so many newly purchased Predators jerseys, 91 stitched on the back. One fan had brought a sign that read, “It’s Stammer Time in Smashville.”

They were ready. He was ready.

“It was really cool,” Stamkos said. “Just try to embrace the moment. Had the whole family here tonight and saw the kids in warmup, so that was cool. It was a great atmosphere.

“Obviously, we would have hoped for a little better result for the fans, but we worked. That’s going to be the identity of this team. I think we’ll get some better bounces if we keep that up.”

For so long in Tampa, Stamkos knew what to expect, on the ice, off the ice. He knew the turns to take in the building and the places to find his teammates in the offensive zone. On Thursday, he managed not to get lost finding the dressing room for morning skate, but he also made sure to arrive extra early, in case he did.

In short, it will be a process for him. There is so much new, when there has always been so much known.

“It’s still early,” Stamkos said. “It’s just trying to get a feel, see what works, what doesn’t, certain situations in games, D-zone face-offs vs. O-zone face-offs, things like that. I thought for the majority of it, definitely the most comfortable I’ve felt anyway in the couple preseason games I’ve played. Tonight was good. We can build.”

Stamkos played the most of any forward on the Predators on Thursday, turning in 23:01 of ice time, including a whopping 7:36 on the power play. He had three shots on goal, three missed shots and went 4-for-9 on face-offs.

And though the power play scored only once on its six chances, it was hard to deny how good it could be with the two new added pieces this season, in Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, who also signed this summer as a free agent.

Both are dynamic players. Both have won the Stanley Cup, with Stamkos winning with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021 and Marchessault with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.

“I think he had some really good looks,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said of Stamkos. “He did the things that make him special, didn’t get rewarded for it. It will be a little bit of a process. ... But yeah, I thought him and ‘Marchy’ were really good down the stretch. You can see how competitive they are. They were hard on pucks and they made plays.”

They will make more.

Because adding Stamkos and Marchessault to a unit that already includes Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly and Roman Josi has all the potential in the world.

Just as Stamkos on the Predators has all the potential in the world.

“It’s sky-high,” Forsberg said. “We’re fortunate enough to not have to play against him anymore now that he’s on our side. I thought he looked really good. Obviously a lot of shots, and one of those shots on the post there could have been a vintage goal to tie that game.

“He’s going to be huge for us.”