Cooper never doubted Stamkos would stay

Last season's biggest free-agency story apparently didn't hold much drama for Jon Cooper.

The Tampa Bay Lightning head coach says that despite endless questions and speculation regarding where Steven Stamkos would sign his next contract, Cooper never felt the star forward would leave.

"In my heart there wasn't one ounce of me that thought anybody was leaving," Cooper told NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "When we have this group, and as close as we are, I never leapt into the thought that we were losing some guys. Deep down inside, I never had a doubt."

While the 26-year-old didn't make his decision until close to the last minute - Stamkos agreed to an eight-year contract two days before he would have become an unrestricted free agent - Cooper thinks the former 60-goal scorer earned the right to gauge the market.

"I truly believe that players have earned their right to be unrestricted free agents," said Cooper. "Steven Stamkos earned his right to offer himself up and make himself available to all 30 teams.

"I just truly believe that in his heart he never wanted to leave. In saying that, he earned the right to be able to see what else was out there, but whether he signed last July 1 or this July 1, he still re-signed and we never went a day without Steven Stamkos."

And the Lightning may not go a day without him for quite a while. Stamkos' deal expires at the end of the 2023-24 season, when he'll be 34 years old.