Stamkos: 'I'd be lying' to say leaving Bolts wasn't heartbreaking

Steven Stamkos opened up on his emotional exit from the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this summer.

"These past few weeks have been bittersweet," the 34-year-old wrote in The Players' Tribune. "I never thought this day would come. I did everything I felt I could do to make it work, but sometimes things just happen. It didn't work. And I'd be lying if I said it wasn't heartbreaking. But my family and I, we're human, you know? Tampa is home. It's where our three kids were born … it's where our memories are. It's always going to mean so much to us."

Stamkos signed a four-year, $32-million contract with the Nashville Predators July 1, concluding a 16-season tenure with the Lightning. Tampa Bay made a pair of trades to clear cap space in the lead-up to free agency but brought in Jake Guentzel on a long-term deal rather than retaining its captain.

General manager Julien BriseBois said he understands Lightning fans are disappointed the team didn't keep Stamkos. After Tampa Bay was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this past spring, head coach Jon Cooper said Stamkos "feels like a Bolt for life."

The Lightning drafted Stamkos first overall in 2008. He captained the club to the Stanley Cup twice and is the franchise's all-time leader in games played (1,082), goals (555), and points (1,137).