Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos gave a positive update on his leg after sustaining a broken right tibia last season and the young forward said it "feels stronger than ever."
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Stamkos suffered the injury during a Nov. 11 game against the Boston Bruins and he returned to the team on March 6, participating in the final 20 regular season games for the Lightning and in four playoff contests.
As Tampa Bay gets ready for training camp later this month, Stamkos said the leg feels a lot better than it did upon his return late last season.
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"It feels much stronger," Stamkos told the Lightning website. "Mentally, too, you're in a better state. It's amazing what time and being able to work on it, being able to strengthen it kind of at your own pace and at your own time and how your body reacts. It's amazing week after week how much better it feels and how much closer it's getting to where it was before. I'm excited about that."
Stamkos told the site he had a screw removed from his leg a week ago and one still remains, and while it's been less than a year since the ailment, he is hoping to bring a spark to the Lightning this season.
"Sometimes you still have to look back, and it hasn't even been a year yet [since the injury]," Stamkos said. "Usually they say stuff like that takes a full year to where it feels as close, but it never feels exactly the same. But it's way better off than where it was at the end of the year."
Stamkos was named the captain of the Lightning upon returning from his injury last season after the team dealt long-time captain Martin St. Louis to the New York Rangers. The two-time NHL All-Star and Maurice Richard Trophy winner is excited for a full season as the leader of the team.
"It's nice to kind of have a test run [as captain] last year," he said. "That's the thing, you don't want to change much. I've been a leader on this team for a while. I've been able to learn from past guys that I played with at various times in my career. We have a great leadership group in here. It's pretty easy coming in and sharing that load with all those guys. You try not to change much and think about it too much."
Stamkos, 24, was the first overall pick in 2008 by the Lightning and had 25 goals, 15 assists and 40 points last season in 37 games to give him 233 tallies, 193 helpers and 426 points in his six-year NHL career with Tampa Bay that spans 410 games.
The Lightning are coming off of a season that saw them finish 46-27-9 with 101 points, good enough for a second place finish in the realigned Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay was then swept out of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens thanks in large part to goaltender Ben Bishop being injured.
The Lightning open up training camp on Sept. 18 and their preseason slate begins Sept. 23 when they host the Nashville Predators.
The puck drops officially on the Lightning's season when the team hosts the state-rival Florida Panthers on Oct. 9 at the newly named Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay.
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