tre Jonathan Toews, but that move would we

TORONTO -- LeBron James going home to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers led to speculation about whether a star NHL player might do the same in the near future. Naturally, Steven Stamkos was at the centre of that speculation. The Tampa Bay Lightning captain and Markham, Ont., native could be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2016, and the allure of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs could be there. "Well see what happens. Its a couple years away," Stamkos said Wednesday. "Right now Im focused on what I have to do to win in Tampa, and I think weve really established ourselves as a team that can compete in upcoming years. "For me, thats the important thing is getting a chance to win. It looks like were going to have that chance for a couple years." At the age of 24, Stamkos is one of the most marketable stars in the NHL. He has topped 50 goals in a season twice already and only missed out on representing Canada at the Sochi Olympics because of a broken leg. Stamkos made a run with the Lightning to the Eastern Conference final in 2011, and Tampa Bay was swept by the Montreal Canadiens in this years playoffs. The Stanley Cup is his priority now, something he can legitimately think about with general manager Steve Yzerman piecing together one of the best young teams in the league. "We have a good thing going down in Tampa," Stamkos said at a Coca-Cola ball-hockey promotional event. "We have a great owner, we got a great GM in Steve Yzerman and we got a good young team. I want to win, and hopefully I can do it in Tampa." Stamkos said with the additions of centre Brian Boyle and defenceman Anton Stralman and the re-signing of winger Ryan Callahan, the Lightning are probably better on paper than they were at the end of last season. "We didnt have the finish we wanted to last year, but with the new faces coming in, the expectations are probably set a little higher," he said. Stamkos said chatter about joining the Leafs in two years was "absolutely not" a distraction for him in Tampa, where hell begin his first full season as captain this fall. "I try not to focus about that stuff," he said. "I think thats the great thing about playing in Tampa is hockey isnt the mecca that it is here in Toronto and you can kind of go about your life and kind of get away from the game when you need to." That said, Stamkos added that he loves playing in good hockey markets, including Toronto. "Im from around here and grew up cheering for the Leafs, so any time I get a chance to come back here I enjoy it, and any time I get a chance to play against the Leafs its fun," he said. "Its also fun beating them, too, because a lot of my friends are still Leaf fans." Stamkos is set to make US$13.5 million over the next two seasons. What could be in his not-too-distant future is a contract like the ones Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane signed with the Chicago Blackhawks: $84 million over eight years. "The business part of the game, its growing," Stamkos said. "Obviously the games in good shape, and when that happens the caps going to grow and players are going to get paid more money. Those guys deserve it: Theyre great players in this league, theyve won championships. "Thats the goal for me is to win a championship. You let your play take care of itself on the ice and when its time to re-sign or sign a contract, you back it up with your play." When James left the Miami Heat for the Cavaliers earlier this month, the chance to return to his native Ohio was cited as a prominent reason. James won two NBA titles during his time with the Heat. "He won his championships, he said he always wanted to come home and play, thats where it started," Stamkos said. "Good for him for making that decision." Best Custom Shirts . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted on Monday that Hemsky will be going to market as an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Wholesale Custom Shirts . - Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin has cleared league-mandated concussion protocol and has returned to practice as a full participant. http://www.shirtscustom.us/ . The biggest collapse in franchise history was a long time ago, and he was too busy trying to make sure it didnt happen again. Custom Shirts Fast . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. Custom Shirts Cheap .com) - Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer were among the third-round winners Friday at the French Open.CHICAGO -- Marian Hossa will be sidelined for two to three weeks because of an upper-body injury, leaving the Chicago Blackhawks without one of their top scorers. Hossa was injured Saturday night during Chicagos 5-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins outside at Soldier Field. It is unclear exactly when Hossa got hurt, but he took a hard hit from Penguins forward Craig Adams during Chicagos second power play of the first period. The announcement on Monday is a big blow for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who lead the NHL with 213 goals this season. Chicago is competing with St. Louis and Anaheim for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Blackhawks and Blues also are tied for the Central Division lead with 86 points apiece. The 35-year-old Hossa has 24 goals and 26 assists in 57 games. He needs 15 points to reach 1,000 for his career. Brandon Saad moved up to take Hossas spot on the right side of Chicagos top line against the Penguins. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville also could put Patrick Kane back together with centre Jonathan Toews, but that move would weaken the scoring depth onn the Blackhawks lines.dddddddddddd Hossas absence likely means more playing time for Peter Regin, who was scratched against Pittsburgh. "Theres going to be some quality ice time shared amongst the guys," Quenneville said after practice on Monday. "I thought Saader did a real good job getting put up on that line there as the game progressed the other day so well probably put him there and well get Peter back in the lineup." The 21-year-old Saad has a career-high 18 goals and 23 assists in his second full NHL season. Quenneville also indicated Hossas injury likely wont affect how the team approaches Wednesdays NHL trade deadline. "I think were fine," he said. Also Monday, the Blackhawks announced they agreed to a three-year contract extension with forward Brandon Bollig that runs through the 2016-17 season. The 27-year-old Bollig has a career-high 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 62 games. He leads the team with 138 hits and 69 penalty minutes. "Beyond excited to remain a Blackhawk for the next three years," Bollig said on Twitter. ' ' '