TAMPA, Florida — Sharks defenseman Brent Burns went to visit Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos this summer when he and his family toured around North America in an RV.

“I just texted him and asked him for his address and how long a drive it was,” Burns said. “He was like, ‘I don’t know, it’s a big drive.’ I said, ‘All right, we’ll see you in a bit.’ Stayed over a couple nights. It was good.”

Burns, 31, has known Stamkos for over two decades. They might have talked about a variety of subjects during the visit, or even when they were around each other every day in September as teammates for Canada at the World Cup in Toronto. But the issue of what it’s like to be a high-profile pending, unrestricted free agent didn’t really come up.

Stamkos, 26, went through it last season before he signed an eight-year, $68 million contract extension with the Lightning in late June. The wildly popular Burns is in that same spot now as he’s in the final season of a five-year deal.

“Can’t say we’ve had a lot of discussions about it,” Stamkos said Friday. “I’m definitely open to a conversation if it comes a point where he needs somebody to talk to. But I know Burnzie. He knows what he’s doing.”

If Burns is at all preoccupied with where he’ll play past this season, he wasn’t saying Friday after the Sharks practiced at Amalie Arena.

Being in the last year of his deal certainly hasn’t affected his performance. With 13 points in 14 games going into Saturday’s game against the Lightning, Burns is ahead of where he was at this time last year, when he set single season franchise records for goals (27) and points (75) and was a Norris Trophy finalist.

Asked how he’s handled things off the ice, Burns said, “I haven’t had to handle anything. I don’t have anything going on.”

“He just loves the game and is always trying to get better,” Stamkos said of Burns. “If there’s a guy that can deal with something like that, it’s him.

“He’s gotten off to a good start. It doesn’t seem to be bugging him.”

Stamkos was in the eye of the hurricane as the biggest free agent-to-be after the 2015-16 season.

With over 300 goals and 550 points in his first eight NHL seasons, Stamkos was going to have no trouble finding a massive offer if he ever reached unrestricted free agency, with the Sharks one of the teams reportedly showing interest.

Before he got there, though, he was going to be asked questions just about every day about his future.

“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t any distractions,” Stamkos said. “No matter how much you try to avoid talking about or avoid thinking about, it gets brought up a lot. Each city you go to, you get asked about it.

“You can just control what you can control. You just come to the rink and you try to park that to the side and go out there and play your game.”

Stamkos ultimately ended all speculation when he re-signed June 29. He said Friday having the chance to play for one organization throughout his career played a role in the decision, but so did the opportunity to play with a winner for several years to come.

“As long as you can look yourself in the mirror and do what’s best for your family and yourself,” Stamkos said, “you know you made the right decision.”

There’s not much doubt Burns enjoys being with the Sharks, who give the two-time all-star defenseman the freedom to be himself on the ice and off. Although Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are two other major pending UFAs, the Sharks, like the Lightning, also figure to be a team that’s going to be competitive for a while.

“We have a bunch of guys that we encourage to be themselves,” said Sharks general manager Doug Wilson, who does not comment publicly on individual negotiations.

“You’re allowed to have some fun, but you have to get the work done. We have a group that enjoys being with each other and Burnzie’s a big part of it. But so is Jumbo and so are every one of them.”

Burns stands to get a significant raise next year from the $5.76 million he’s making this season, with Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien’s five-year, $38 million contract thought to be in the neighborhood of what Burns would command.

“To have the offensive instincts that he has back there with the combination of his size is pretty rare,” Stamkos said, “and it’s something that I’m sure a lot of teams would love to have.”