“I’d have to agree with Sid there,” Stamkos said. “That was the rationale early on when I sat down with [agents] Donnie [Meehan] and Mark [Guy]. ‘Let’s wait this out. Let’s be optimistic that we get something done here and salvage some of the season. So let’s stay in shape here, work out and stay informed and go from there.’

“But if the season is in jeopardy, you’d definitely have to look at getting at least one to two months’ worth of competitive games in just so you have something to gauge heading into the summer. Obviously, we hope that’s not the case — we want to play in the NHL this year — but if there is a threat of losing the whole year, I’m definitely going to be looking for a place to play.”