Steven Stamkos has turned the tables on Habs fans regarding Corey Perry...
One of the biggest losses of the summer for the Habs is definitely Corey Perry. The veteran forward was a pillar of Dominique Ducharme's team both in the locker room and on the ice.
He signed a two-year deal with his doomsday, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who defeated him two consecutive seasons in the Stanley Cup Final. A situation that Steven Stamkos, the captain of the Florida team, envies considerably.
According to the number 91, as soon as the opening of the market for unrestricted agents was made official, the Lightning was instantly interested in the services of Perry. An even more surprising statement from Stamkos, Corey Perry was THE best forward for the Habs in the Stanley Cup Final.
"As soon as the free agent market opened, we wanted him. In our locker room, we said he was the best forward on the Canadiens."
Stamkos was mostly referring to the fact that many analysts don't see the Lightning returning to the Finals, considering all the pieces they lost in the offseason. Jon Cooper's squad lost the services of Barclay Goodrow, Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde and David Savard, among others. However, Stamkos seemed confident that the Lightning could repeat their success, considering the addition of Perry to an already strong core with Kucherov, Point, Hedman and Vasilevskiy.
"Why can't we do it again," Stamkos referring to another Stanley Cup Final appearance.
What did Julien Brisebois say to Corey Perry to convince him to sign with Tampa Bay? He didn't beat around the bush.
"We want to win again."
That's the magic phrase to say when you've won back-to-back Stanley Cup and you want to convince an attractive player to sign with you. Plus, who wouldn't want to play hockey in a city where you can be in flip flops all year... 😉
If you were wondering if the Lightning were planning on stopping at two consecutive Stanley Cup? Think again, the players want more.
"We're not satisfied. We're still hungry. We don't want to see another team lift the Stanley Cup," said Victor Hedman.
The Lightning should not be dismissed from the discussions about winning the ultimate trophy. They have a lot of experience, which is not to be overlooked. Could we see a potential Avalanche vs Lightning final? I say yes...
