from Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times,

"We said in September that we'd sit down at the end of the year and get that done, and that's my intention," Yzerman said. "We've got a good team, he's our captain, and it's our intention to get him signed to a long-term deal."

Stamkos said he isn't too worried about it, believing that the contract talks will "take care of itself." He loves the future of this young team, saying this playoff run was the most fun he's ever had playing hockey.

"I've said it all along, I want to win a championship with this group," Stamkos said. "It's been a great ride this year. I know we'll have some talks, whether it's in the next day or weeks, I don't know. But we'll definitely be getting something worked out hopefully shortly."

Stamkos knows it can be a "distraction" of he goes into next season without having a long-term deal, as it'll become a big story, especially with the media in Canada with regards to the star center returning to his hometown Maple Leafs.

"We have a lot of time in this summer," he said. "I'm not worried at all about that."

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