Lightning owner plans to keep spending, wants Stamkos around for the long haul

After a summer of wild speculation linking Steven Stamkos – set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2016 – to his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, Lightning owner Jeff Vinik reiterated to the fans that he's prepared to spend at or near the salary cap ceiling in order to build a championship team in Tampa Bay.

Speaking at the team's Fan Fest on Saturday, Vinik admitted the club is losing "a little bit of money," but affirmed his commitment to investing in on-ice personnel, even with the salary cap set to rise substantially over the next few years.

"How lucky am I to be an owner of a professional sports team and a professional hockey league team?" Vinik proclaimed, as per the Tampa Bay Times. "And I want our fans and myself to enjoy giving our best shot to win."

Although Stamkos isn't eligible for free agency for two years, the two sides can begin negotiating a contract extension next July, and Vinik clearly wants to keep the face of the franchise around for as long as possible.

"I'll tell Steven loud and proud, 'I hope you're with us for your whole career and lead us to a lot of Stanley Cups,'" Vinik said, calling Stamkos a "superstar hockey player and a superstar person."

Entering the 2014-15 NHL season, the Lightning rank third in total payroll (with salary to shed in order to get under the cap), and are a sexy pick to contend for the Stanley Cup in June.