Stamkos has been unfit to play during the Stanley Cup Playoffs but recently resumed skating and has been participating in occasional optional practices and morning skates, including Monday and Tuesday.
"Especially in a game or a series where goals are at a premium," Cooper said. "So if he comes back, his timing, there are a lot of things that have to go into this beforehand, but he's getting closer."
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Cooper said Stamkos was "inching closer" when asked if he would take warmups prior to Game 3 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, the hub city for the Cup Final (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS). The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1.
"He's just another thing for a team to think about when he's out there," Cooper said. "So whether that's on the power play or 5-on-5, you get another player who, the puck gets on his stick in the offensive zone, it might go in the net.
Stamkos led the Lightning with 10 power-play goals this season. Tampa Bay is 12-for-63 (19.1 percent) on the power play in 21 postseason games but scored two power-play goals in the first period of Game 2 against Dallas. Before that, it had not scored in its past 14 opportunities, since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Islanders.
Stars coach Rick Bowness, who was an assistant for the Lightning from 2013-18, said he expects Stamkos to play in the Cup Final.
"I bumped into him the other day in the hallway -- bubble hockey, you got everyone locked in, all the locker rooms are beside each other -- when I see him walking out to the ice in full gear, I know where he's going, and he can't be that far away," Bowness said. "So we're prepared that he plays."
Stamkos took part in drills with the top power-play unit during training camp in July but did not participate in a full practice until after the Lightning arrived in Toronto, the hub city for the Eastern Conference through the second round of the playoffs, July 26. He had a setback after that and has yet to return to a full practice.
Second on the Lightning this season with 66 points (29 goals, 37 assists) in 57 games, Stamkos last played Feb. 25. He had surgery to repair a core muscle injury March 2 and missed Tampa Bay's final five games before the NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
If the 30-year-old does return, it will be similar to the one he made during the 2016 playoffs. That season, he missed eight weeks recovering from surgery to clear a blood clot near his right collarbone before returning against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final. He played 11:55 in a 2-1 loss.
"An 80 percent 'Stammer' is better than most players in this league," Lightning forward Blake Coleman said Monday. "Stammer's a superstar in this league, and to some extent, it doesn't matter how much time he's had off. The way he is, the way he carries himself, he'll give you everything he's got. Not sure if we see him or not but if we do, it'll be a great boost to our team not only on the ice, but with the leadership in the room. This team follows him even when he's not in the room. I'm sure his impact would be huge, and we'd be excited to have him."
