NHL-Stamkos signs for Predators after 16 years at Tampa Bay Lightning

FILE PHOTO: Apr 17, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) skates with the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

By Karl Plume

(Reuters) - Steven Stamkos is signing a free-agent deal with the Nashville Predators, marking the end of a 16-year run with the Tampa Bay Lightning that included back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and two NHL goalscoring titles, he said on Monday.

The "Bolts" career points leader and captain since 2014 will move on from his only NHL team to a four-year deal with the Predators, Stamkos said in an interview with sports network TSN.

The move was among a flurry of signings on the first day of the NHL's free agency period that saw some of the league's top talent change teams.

The Predators bolstered their roster with Stamkos, 34, plus Las Vegas Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault, players who have lifted the Cup in three of the last five seasons.

Stamkos, who posted a farewell message on social media site X earlier on Monday, told TSN that Nashville "checked the most boxes" for him and his family.

"To have a team show as much interest as Nashville did with how excited they were about the possibility of me coming ... made that decision that much easier," Stamkos said on TSN.

"The fit for myself as an individual, as a player, and the fit for my family, it checked all those boxes."

"It's not for a lack of effort from my side of trying to make things work out in Tampa.

"You can see by how aggressive they (Predators) have been today already that their commitment to winning is second to none."

Stamkos, the first overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft and seven-times All Star, has tallied 555 goals and 1,137 points in 1,082 career games. He won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.

(Reporting by Karl Plume in Chicago; Editing by Ken Ferris)