Steven Stamkos has one more year left on his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning beyond the 2014-15 season, but that hasn’t deterred fans around North America from plotting their team’s plan to land the sniper as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2016.

Stamkos poured some cold water on the idea that he’ll be walking away from Tampa following next season on Friday. The 24-year-old is very happy where he is right now, and plans to win with the Lightning.

In speaking with Sportsnet’s Hockey Central at Noon crew in Columbus for the All-Star Game, Stamkos expressed his desire to win with the Lightning, telling Darren Millard, Nick Kypreos and Damien Cox he couldn’t be happier with the Lightning.

Stamkos intimated to reporters on Friday that he’s likely to sign long-term with the Lightning this summer well ahead of hitting free agent status, similar to the path Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews took with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Transcription via Tampa Bay Times:

“Yeah I think that’s exactly what the plan is,” Stamkos said. “Obviously July 1 you can announce a deal and something hopefully similar to what Kane and Toews did, sometime after July 1. It’s a long ways away. I’m not really focused on that. We haven’t really talked about that at all. We’ll discuss that in the summertime, but I’m obviously very happy with where I am in Tampa.”

Stamkos effectively extinguished the hopes of any Toronto Maple Leafs fans hoping for a 2016 homecoming for the native of Markham, Ontario.

The two-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner likes what’s been built in Tampa and relishes his role as a more senior member of the Lightning at just 24 years of age.

“You see the team we’ve been able to develop the past couple of years, the ownership we have, obviously (general manager) Steve Yzerman, the coaching staff, the young nucleus of the team. I feel like the old fart at 24, all these guys coming in here, but they’ve played extremely well and I want to be part of it, to say I was there from the beginning to see the end result.”

It doesn’t appear Stamkos is going anywhere other than to the top of league’s highest salaries list as captain of the Lightning.