from Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune,

Stamkos’ right leg, which was broken in a horrific on-ice accident on Nov. 11 in Boston, feels stronger than it did at the end of last season, when Tampa Bay was swept out of the playoffs by Montreal in the first round.

One of two screws was removed from the leg last month, he said. And though he skated in Toronto last week, Stamkos came to Tampa early for additional treatment and to gain more strength in the leg. There are no concerns about his leg, he said.

““It’s amazing, even week after week, how much better it feels and how much closer it’s getting to where it was before the injury,” he said.

Stamkos is excited by the summer moves by general manager Steve Yzerman, who retained winger Ryan Callahan on a long-term contract and brought in defensemen Jason Garrison and Anton Stralman, center Brian Boyle, veteran forward Brendan Morrow and goaltender Evgeni Nabokov.

“The bar has definitely been raised,” Stamkos said. “The expectations aren’t to just sneak into the playoffs, it’s that we want to get in there and win.’’

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