The Tampa Bay Lightning currently sit third in the Atlantic Division of the NHL, just four points off division leaders the Florida Panthers.

Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos is a large reason for his clubs' success, with his 57 points equal-best in the team.

Fresh off a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals the previous year, and well in the hunt to return there this year, life must seem peachy for Stamkos on the west coast of Florida.

However, according to popular belief, this is not entirely true.

As is customary, ongoing contract negotiations between Tampa and their Canadian captain are spouting rumours of potential unsettlement between the two parties.

If the talks carry on into the off-season, Stamkos is an unrestricted free agent, and as one of the NHL's marquee captains, would command big money on the open market.

If Zero US were a betting agency, what odds would we give you on potential destinations for the Canadian international representative?

Tampa Bay Lightning - $2.00

Odds are that Stamkos re-signs with the TB long-term, and enjoys much future success with the Lightning. However, the longer this saga draws out, the further north that $2.00 price tag goes.

With just under $2 million to play with right now, Tampa will likely have to lose a few players in order to keep their top-line centre. Fortunately, they do have some other 3.5 and 2.5 million dollar cap hits coming off contract this off-season.

Toronto Maple Leafs - $7.00

Besides TB, the favourites to sign Stamkos are his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. But besides hometown ties, what exactly would persuade Stamkos to join the ever-struggling Maple Leafs?

Despite a long-term rebuild ahead, Toronto are heading in the right direction under the experience of Mike Babcock, and the deep-pocketed ownership would happily stump up whatever Stamkos wants to live off.

New York Rangers - $9.50

The New York Rangers are a far cry from the Leafs in more ways than one, but if winning the Cup is what Stamkos is serious about, he'd be silly not to consider them.

The match seems perfect โ€“ New York currently lack scoring punch, something

โ€˜Stammer' instantly provides, as well as great leadership. This would almost certainly need to involve a trade however, as NY has little to play with in the way of cap space.

Buffalo Sabres - $10.00

The Buffalo Sabres are stocked with young talent that will in a few years prove to be a desirable destination for NHL free agents โ€“ but will it be enough to convince Stamkos to make the move?

General manager Tim Murray is renowned for his boldness, and it would not be a surprise to see him sound Stamkos out about a potential move north. Whilst they could certainly pay him more than he's worth, it would still be a surprise to see him wind up here.

Wildcard โ€“ St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues have traditionally come up short in playoffs situations, especially in recent years โ€“ what better way to remedy this than to add an Eastern Conference winning captain?

Again, a trade would be required to help this monster move go down. Specifically, the Blues would have to stump up $4.25 million cap hit Kevin Shattenkirk to take on Stamkos. Depending on the way this season turns out, it may be a move the St. Louis Blues need to attempt.