Although Cooper ruled out Stamkos playing in the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Islanders before the series began Sept. 7, he left open the possibility of him playing in the Stanley Cup Final if the Lightning advanced. Tampa Bay extended its lead in the best-of-7 series with a 4-1 victory in Game 4 on Sunday and is one win from reaching the Cup Final heading into Game 5 on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).
Stamkos has been with the Lightning throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs but hasn't played since Feb. 25. The 30-year-old sustained a lower-body injury before training camp for the postseason began July 13.
"He's been skating on and off," Cooper said. "He's on a rehab (routine) and so a lot of days he's either skating by himself or, if we've got optionals or a few guys skating, like today, he's out there with the guys. But there's certain things he can and can't do. It's great to have him around, but nothing's changed in the playing department anytime soon."
Stamkos participated in some drills with the top power-play unit during camp but did not go through a full practice until after the Lightning arrived in Toronto, the hub city for the Eastern Conference through the second round of the playoffs, on July 26. He has not practiced in full recently.
Stamkos scored 66 points (29 goals, 37 assists) in 57 regular-season games, second on the Lightning behind Nikita Kucherov's 85 (33 goals, 52 assists in 68 games). He had surgery to repair a core muscle injury March 2 and missed the final five games before the NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
"When [Stamkos] is even close to ready, I will give you guys an update," Cooper said. "He's been skating. …When you're not able to play, you've got to shine in other areas and he's definitely helping in the leadership department."
Although Stamkos hasn't played, his teammates have said they appreciate having him around. He's experienced a lot during his 12 NHL seasons, including the Lightning's most recent trip to the Stanley Cup Final, in 2015, when they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games, and conference final appearances in 2016 and 2018.
"He's our captain, he's the leader of our team, a huge part of our team, a huge part of this organization, part of why this organization has been doing well in the last couple of years," Lightning forward Alex Killorn said Sept. 9. "As of now, he still has that leadership role whether he's telling us certain things or just checking in on us. He's definitely a huge part of this and we rely on him in that sense. His leadership is kind of a calming influence on our team."
