There were plenty of rumored destinations for Steven Stamkos this summer, but the center never thought about leaving the Lightning. Stamkos was linked to the Flyers and Maple Leafs. "We started this process back in November," Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said. "From Day 1, there's never been anything but honest, good-faith negotiation and at no point was there any concern from either party that the idea wasn't to get Steven signed to a long-term extension. From Day 1, Steven and his representation expressed that he wanted to play in Tampa. He's happy here and loves it here and wants to continue playing here. That's a big reason why we're here today. "I'm very pleased to be able to do that and get it done relatively early in the summer. That allows Steven to focus on his training and prepare for the upcoming season … and obviously to our fan base to ease their nerves a little bit."