Report: Martin St. Louis Requested Trade From Tampa Bay Lightning
BOSTON (CBS) -- In recent years, he's been the one player with whom the Tampa Bay Lightning were unable to part, but this year might be different for Martin St. Louis.
According to Newsday, the veteran winger has requested a trade from the Lightning.
"He has a full no-move clause, so he could pick his destination," Arthur Staple wrote in the report.
St. Louis, 38, has played for Tampa Bay since 2000, after he spent his first two NHL seasons with Calgary. He's registered 968 points in 1,037 games, and he's added 68 more points in 63 career playoff games. Age hasn't slowed him down, either, as he's averaged more than a point per game and has only missed a handful of games since the 2010-11 season.
St. Louis was a late addition to Team Canada's Olympic hockey roster, after Tampa Bay teammate Steven Stamkos couldn't make the trip due to injury. He won a gold medal, but apparently he's not confident in his NHL team's chances of getting him his second career Stanley Cup.
Staple wrote that St. Louis' desired location is likely New York, a team that would seemingly be game for a captain-for-captain swap with Ryan Callahan. Yet in a market with few star-caliber players available, St. Louis' name -- if not his stature -- is now likely the biggest.
St. Louis has 25 goals and 31 assists in 58 games played this season. The Lightning are currently in second place in the Atlantic Division and are currently a playoff team, which adds a unique twist to the normal veteran-wants-to-leave-bad-team scenario that typically pops up around the deadline each year. Instead, the Lightning would likely demand an impact NHL player as a starting point for negotiations for their franchise cornerstone and team captain.
Staple noted that St. Louis' desire to be traded may stem from initially being left off the Canadian Olympic roster by Lightning GM Steve Yzerman.
