Speaking with the media in Columbus in advance of this weekend's NHL all-star game, Steven Stamkos didn't exactly hide the fact that he wants to stay with the Tampa Bay Lightning moving forward. In fact, he spoke about potentially signing an extension this summer, which is when the team and player are allowed to begin negotiations.

@RealStamkos91 said at All-Star media day that he envisions potentially signing an extension with #tblightning in July. Wants to stay

— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) January 23, 2015

Stamkos says he loves it in Tampa, team has a great future and he wants to part of it

— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) January 23, 2015

Lightning fans should be incredibly excited about his comments. The thought of seeing number-91 in Bolts blue for the foreseeable future is awesome. Sign him to a max contract. Keep him in Tampa for eight years. He's the face of a franchise that looks to be on the cusp of something special.

Here's hoping I get the opportunity to write about a big Stamkos extension in July.

As always, thanks for reading.

Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter.

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