Stamkos, St. Louis consider playing overseas
Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos are exploring opportunities to play overseas in Europe if the NHL is locked out for any extended period of time.
Following in the footsteps of players like Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, St. Louis and Stamkos remain confident a deal will get done, but they have no intentions of sitting out a year worth of hockey.
"If it goes to October, it usually means it will go longer," St. Louis told the Tampa Bay Times regarding the potential lockout. "You have to be patient before you go to Europe, but it's definitely an option guys will look into."
"Definitely thought about it if there is an extended lockout," Stamkos added via text message.
St. Louis, who spent the 2004-05 lockout playing with HC Lausanne in Switzerland, said that his age played a big factor in his decision to play overseas. "With my age, you want to keep playing. I don't want to take a year off," the 37-year-old said. "If the NHL wants to shut us down, we'll go play somewhere else."
Stamkos, the reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner, recorded 60 goals and 37 assists in 82 games last season, while St. Louis posted 25 goals and 49 assists in 77 games.
