Stamkos wants to re-sign, help Lightning to Cup

7:31 PM ET

TAMPA, Fla. — Steven Stamkos hopes he hasn’t played his last game for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The two-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goal scorer can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, however he reiterated Friday that he’d like to stay with the team drafted him No. 1 overall in 2008 and came within one victory of reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year.

“I certainly hope to be back. We obviously have unfinished business here,” Stamkos said a day after Tampa Bay’s 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final.

“This group has been unbelievable, the city has been unbelievable for me,” he added. “I can’t believe it’s been eight years already. Time flies.”

Steven Stamkos hopes his brief return to the postseason this year wasn’t the last time he’ll play for the Lightning. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

The 26-year-old center missed the first 16 games of the Lightning’s playoff run before returning to the lineup for Game 7 on Thursday night, less than two months after undergoing surgery to treat a blood clot discovered near his right collarbone.

He described the past eight weeks dealing with his health while also watching his teammates experience the highs and lows of the postseason as stressful, …

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