He recorded his first point – a secondary assist – in his eighth game, on a goal scored by Vincent Lecavalier which was against his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

[11][12][13] Though Stamkos was heavily criticized for his lack of production during the first half of the season, in which he was limited to less than ten minutes of ice time some games (largely due to a dispute amongst then-head coach Barry Melrose and upper management, mainly co-owner Len Barrie on how to approach the development of Stamkos in the NHL),[14] he finished the season with 19 points in his final 20 games.

In the 2009 off-season, Stamkos spent the summer training extensively with newly retired NHL player Gary Roberts, working on adding strength and endurance.

Additionally, Stamkos' 44 assists gave him 95 points within the season, good for fifth in the NHL behind Henrik Sedin, Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Nicklas Bäckström, respectively.

[22] Wayne Gretzky, who scored 50 goals in a record 39 games in 1981–82, told reporters he thought Stamkos was surrounded by enough talent in Tampa Bay to achieve the feat.

[40] On April 7, the final day of the 2011–12 season, Stamkos recorded his 60th goal in a 4–3 overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets, becoming the 20th player in NHL history to achieve the feat and the first since Alexander Ovechkin did so in 2007–08.

Despite Stamkos' continued individual success, the Lightning struggled as a team, finishing the season eight points out of a spot for the playoffs, putting them at tenth in the East and twenty first in the NHL overall.

That included playing in his father's pick-up hockey league every Thursday night, when he and former Lightning forward Steve Downie would mix it up with a group that varied as much in age (22–65) as ability.

He also had 28 assists, which gave him a total of 57 points for the runner-up for the Art Ross Trophy for the second straight season behind teammate and linemate Martin St. Louis.

He updated the media on his miraculous progress and was hopeful that he could return to the Lightning before commencement of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, which he was widely considered to play in for Canada.

[62][63] On November 11, 2014, Stamkos recorded his 200th career NHL assist on a goal scored by Nikita Kucherov in a Lightning 3–2 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center.

[73] On April 2, the Lightning announced Stamkos was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, the same injury that sidelined teammate Andrei Vasilevskiy at the start of the 2015–16 season; it is a condition that is rare among hockey players.

[83] On March 29, Lightning head coach, Jon Cooper, said that after the team's upcoming game against the Detroit Red Wings that Stamkos would be considered day-to-day.

Stamkos recorded two assists in his return on goals by Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov respectively, which resulted in a 5–3 Lightning win over the visiting Florida Panthers.

[88] On October 21, Stamkos scored his 113th career power play goal, against Antti Niemi of the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 7–1 Lightning win at the Amalie Arena.

[105] On March 21, Stamkos was fined $5,000 for a dangerous trip against Toronto Maple Leafs' defenceman Morgan Rielly, which occurred the previous night at Amalie Arena.

[112][113] On December 10, Stamkos scored a power play goal on New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to record his 700th career NHL point.

[132] In doing so, Stamkos became the fourth player in NHL history that played primarily as a center to record 150+ career power-play goals before the age of 30, joining Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Dale Hawerchuk.

[136] On January 9, 2020, Stamkos recorded his 400th career NHL assist on a Nikita Kucherov goal against the Arizona Coyotes, becoming the third player in Lightning history to reach the milestone.

Going into the Finals, Stamkos was seen as a top candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP if the Lightning were to win third consecutive Stanley Cup title.

"[155] Lightning head coach Jon Cooper expressed elation for Stamkos' milestone by saying, "I have watched him grow into a man, a phenomonal leader and to be honest, a generational goal scorer.

[157] After being awarded the trophy, Stamkos went on to say "When you you have someone with the caliber of leadership that Mark Messier has and what he's meant to our game, it's pretty special to have him hand select the winner.

[159] On December 31, Stamkos played his 1,038th NHL game (all with the Lightning) in a 4–3 win over the Montreal Canadiens and recorded an assist on a goal by Calvin de Haan.

On July 1, 2024, Stamkos ended his 16-year tenure with the Lightning after being unable to negotiate an extension with the club and was signed as a free agent to a four-year, $32 million dollar contract with the Nashville Predators.

[176][177][178] In October 2014, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper characterized Stamkos and Ovechkin's goal scoring reputations and rivalry as one that creates a "tension-building" atmosphere.

"[180] While Stamkos has been known for being a prolific scorer with a powerful shot, he has been shown to be an efficient playmaker and doesn't shy away from getting physical with opponents in forechecking or backchecking scenarios.

[189] NBC Sports broadcaster and former NHL player Jeremy Roenick also expressed admiration for Stamkos' leadership abilities in August 2016 by saying "Every time I’ve talked to him, I’m so impressed.

I’m obviously impressed with his talent and what he can do.”[190] During the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals in June 2022, Lightning teammate Patrick Maroon labeled Stamkos as the "heartbeat" of the team.

"[199] The following month, longtime Lightning teammate and close friend Victor Hedman, who was named the Lighting's new captain leading into the 2024–25 season, said Stamkos' departure was "shocking and tough" and reflected his legacy and culture created by saying “Everything speaks for itself, but just the person himself is going to be missed in the locker room, on the road, everywhere.

Stamkos continued to impress at the 2009 IIHF World Championships, scoring on his first career shift and meshing with fellow Lightning forward Martin St. Louis for seven goals, 11 points and a +9 plus-minus rating en route to a 2–1 loss to Russia in the finals.