from Joe Smith of Lightning Strikes,

"I love watching Steven Stamkos play, I'm not worried about him," Vinik said at Fan Fest today at Amalie Arena. "He's a great player, great leader, great person. I hope he's with this organization for a long time to come.

Vinik has said he's confident GM Steve Yzerman can figure out a deal with Stamkos. Stamkos could warrant a deal in the neighborhood of the eight-year, $84 million extensions Blackhawks stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews signed last summer. Vinik said Yzerman has the "green light" money-wise in a Stamkos deal to do what is "best for the long-term interest of this franchise."

"I have confidence in both guys," Vinik said. "Steve, as I said is one of the best managers in the league and Stamkos is one of hte best players in the league."

Vinik touched on a number of other topics today, "thankful" that 8,810 showed up for Fan Fest.

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