As of press time last night, sources said no offer had been extended, something that Stamkos' agents from the Newport Sports Group confirmed. The Flyers were permitted to send an offer sheet to Stamkos as early as 5 p.m. yesterday.
That could change at some point today.
"It's not a definite, yet, but it's something they are strongly considering," one source said. "It's something that they believe they can work out and fit him in."
As of yesterday afternoon, the Flyers' brass had yet to run the scenario by team chairman Ed Snider - though that "would not be a hard sell," according to one source.
Stamkos' camp cannot officially accept an offer sheet until the free-agency period begins Friday.
"We don't know whether we'll receive an offer at this stage - one way or the other," Stamkos' agent, Mark Guy, said yesterday afternoon. "It's still too soon to tell."
Guy did say, however, that his camp did not have any dialogue with Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman yesterday. The two sides could reconvene today. The Lightning has been trying to hammer out of a deal with "Stammer" for more than a month.
Rogers SportsNet in Canada reported on Monday that the two sides are still "not close" on a deal. Yzerman reportedly has been offering $6.5 million to $7 million a season. Reports also have questioned whether Stamkos want to continue his career in Tampa Bay.
Stamkos, 21, has netted a league-high 96 goals and 186 points over the last two seasons.
In the meantime, if the Flyers were to present an offer sheet, Stamkos could use it as leverage in his negotiations with Yzerman before Friday. If no new deal has been brokered by noon Friday, Stamkos could choose to accept the offer sheet.
