Stamkos denies report he'd consider waiving NMC

Nashville Predators veteran Steven Stamkos denied a report from Thursday suggesting he'd consider moving to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, or Dallas Stars if asked to waive his no-movement clause prior to the March 6 trade deadline.

"I haven't talked to (general manager Barry Trotz) at all about that," Stamkos told The Tennesseean's Alex Daugherty, noting there's "zero" chance he'd waive his NMC.

Stamkos added, "Obviously, there's stuff that gets reported. But what I'll say, with this group, we want to be together. I can only control what I can control, but I love being here."

The Predators are two points back of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference through 58 games. Stamkos has been a key reason Nashville has turned its season around, leading the club with 29 goals.

The 36-year-old is in the second season of a four-year, $32-million contract signed with Nashville after a 16-year run in Tampa Bay.

The Predators failed to meet expectations in Stamkos' first campaign with the club, finishing 30th in the league standings despite making one of the biggest free-agent splashes in recent memory by signing the two-time "Rocket" Richard winner along with Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei.