He was found this level even before his injury, that 17 game stretch in 2013/14 is still the best hockey I've seen Stamkos play to date, something triggered in him that season and everything was put together - he felt like a one-man wrecking machine despite playing with MSL.
After the injury he tried to play at that level again but it just didn't seem to click. He's not as individually dominant this year despite his huge PPG, to me it looks like a reflection of what happens when you give an elite offensive talent too much time to make decisions on the ice - credit to Kuch that seems to be his special ability to draw players to his side, defenders don't seem to be as zoned into Stamkos as previously.
Yeah, that stretch till post was the most dominating hockey he's ever played. But back then Stamkos was playing the same style he had played always, but at the absolute highest level.
What I'm seeing is he's plain changed his game. Old Stamkos had 3 options after blueline:
Drive the net
Shoot
Go behind the goal and try to pass
Now he doesn't drive the net, thanks I think to that particular post, doesn't go round the goal that often either, and shoots a little less. Instead he's looking for different ways for his line to score.
That's what I meant with the evolving, I fully agree that he was a better player back in that stretch, but this version of him is perfect when you have someone like Kutcherov on your line.