Speculation: Where does Tavares end up??

[Benstheman]

He's doing the same thing stamkos did.
Optimize that money....but ultimately never actually wanting to leave.

The difference is TBay was a top team. NYI is far from that.

 

[trick9]

I don't see him staying with the Islanders. It's a rebuild he's been part of his entire career and looks like they are heading for the next one already.

 

[SenatorFrank]

Realistically if he hits the market his agent is gonna be getting 31 phone calls. In terms of real contenders to sign him:

Vegas can and should be offering him max contract. Other contenders would be STL, TOR.

Guy's from Oakville (part of the GTA) I think he strongly considers the Leafs if they can match some of the other offers. Sens fan here hoping I'm wrong...

Don't see the Habs as an option sorry. Not looking to start and argument but you guys are a mess right now, just like my sens. IMO he stays in Long Island before he goes somewhere like that.

 

[Benstheman]

Even if the Sharks don’t sign Thornton which I fully expect they will their team still looks good

Kane-Tavares-Donskoi
Labanc-Couture-Hertl
Meier-Tierney-Pavelski
Sorenson-Goodrow-some 4th liner

I agree.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I think he stands a good chance of ending up back on the Island. But I do worry about him signing long term.

JT has not been very good these past months. I've said this a few times, he is starting to look slow compared to other players.

Paying a long term cap hit for a slowing player is high risk.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

Thread title says it all. And i consider NYI being one of the answers.

A lot of speculation here in Mtl, he comes with the Habs but it is the usual biased speculation/bs we ear for every notable player becoming available.

I personaly think there is a small possibility he comes with Mtl but not more than that.

So where do you think he ends up?

No idea why he'd go to Montreal. Given Montreal's (impoverished) state and situation, that does not seem to make any sense. In parallel or similar situations, more often than not, the player resigns with his existing team. So there's that.

 

[Benstheman]

Realistically if he hits the market his agent is gonna be getting 31 phone calls. In terms of real contenders to sign him:

Vegas can and should be offering him max contract. Other contenders would be STL, TOR.

Guy's from Oakville (part of the GTA) I think he strongly considers the Leafs if they can match some of the other offers. Sens fan here hoping I'm wrong...

Don't see the Habs as an option sorry. Not looking to start and argument but you guys are a mess right now, just like my sens. IMO he stays in Long Island before he goes somewhere like that.

I agree. But there is case to be made he would be a big solution for the Habs. I think the Habs are wayyyyyyy better and a good playoffs team with him on board. Off course if Price gets back to his old form.

 

[SenatorFrank]

I agree. But there is case to be made he would be a big solution for the Habs. I think the Habs are wayyyyyyy better and a good playoffs team with him on board. Off course if Price gets back to his old form.

He makes every team better. That's why I said hes gonna be getting calls from every team. Doesn't make it realistic.

I also think the Habs are more than "Tavares away" from being a good playoff team

 

[rent free]

Isles

 

[Instant]

There's way more optimism here than on the Isles board. We really don't think he's staying. He would be crazy to re-sign with the Isles.

I think he stands a good chance of ending up back on the Island. But I do worry about him signing long term.

JT has not been very good these past months. I've said this a few times, he is starting to look slow compared to other players.

Paying a long term cap hit for a slowing player is high risk.

Sure, he was in a slump, but it seems like it ended a few games ago, he's fine now. And he was always slower in comparison to many other players, never stopped him from being good. I would say signing a guy who doesn't rely on his skating to score isn't that high risk.

 

[bluedevil58]

Carolina. They gonna throw the fat stacks at him if he hits UFA. Going to buy him and offer is going to be larger than any other teams offer.

 

[HenrikW]

Pavelski probably pretty long since he doesn’t rely on speed. Burns probably pretty long same way Boyle did for us.

Look I'm not saying they wont be good players but can you definately say they wont regress? That regression is not some part of the production decline this year? If Tavares leave NYI it would be to join someone that'll be a legit contender during his 7 year contract. If I were JT I would look at SJ and be worried how my core was gonna hold up as 36 year olds

 

[Benstheman]

He makes every team better. That's why I said hes gonna be getting calls from every team. Doesn't make it realistic.

Off course he makes every team better. But the team he would upgrde the most is Montréal considering their center situation. In other words, it makes more sense for the Habs to pay 12-13M$ for him than any other team already having good centers and possibly other needs.

 

[Benstheman]

Carolina. They gonna throw the fat stacks at him if he hits UFA. Going to buy him and offer is going to be larger than any other teams offer.

I agree

edit : With the first part. But i don't think they put a bigger offer than Habs

 

[SI90]

Taking the islanders out of the equation.
I think St Louis makes the most sense. They have the pieces/roster set up to win and are in need of a #1 Center.

After St. Louis, there are a few team that would be good fits for him. Carolina, Columbus, and San Jose.

Let’s just hope he stays with the NYI and we can avoid all of this. Lol

 

[HOPE]

He's doing the same thing stamkos did.
Optimize that money....but ultimately never actually wanting to leave.

and what did stamkos optimize exacly? 8.5M, he could of had that in his first ask, thats a discount.

 

[SenatorFrank]

I agree

edit : With the first part. But i don't think they put a bigger offer than Habs

I think you're wrong. Vegas and Zona are in better positions to offer him max contract and he'll only use that as leverage to get a better deal from a team he actually wants to play for

 

[BreakingGood]

I mean, it's hard to say. How does he weigh being in contention, familiarity, privacy, media attention, and money? You could make a case for any of the Islanders, Canadiens, Rangers, Panthers, Lightning, Blues, Sharks, Flames, Golden Knights, Red Wings, or Avalanche, and maybe even the Maple Leafs, Sabres, Flyers, or Bruins.

If you go around, the Canadiens, Rangers, Blues, and Flames have pieces, and they have cap space, but they're all coming off bad seasons when they thought they'd contend. The Red Wings and Sabres are just flat out bad, and the Panthers may have financial concerns. The Avalanche would be a pretty big move for a team that isn't world's better than the Islanders, and you could make a similar case against the Flyers, although Tavares joining them would probably make them *worlds* better than this year's Islanders. The Sharks are a great fit, but with the ages of Thornton, Burns, Pavelski, and Vlasic, you wonder if that's the best move. If he's getting 7-8 years, that seems like a move that's great for 2-3 and then may land him on another rebuilding team for the next 4-5 years. The Lightning would have to clear room, may be looking at Karlsson still, and have a cap reckoning come up anyway. The Leafs have the room, an elite team, the roster is young, but the obvious questions about how much Matthews, Marner, and Nylander are gonna make kinda rules them out at very least until we know how that'll work.

The Bruins may be a sleeper. Yes, Bergeron/Marchand/Chara/Krejci/Rask have the same concerns as the Sharks' core, but between McAvoy, Pastrnak, etc, they have some legitimately elite young talent and a decent chunk of cap room this summer, and they're maybe the best team in the NHL as it is. Then there's the Golden Knights. Great team, gobs of cap space, had a really good 2017 draft, and one thing nobody seems to be talking about yet is that Nevada is like Florida/Texas without a state income tax (so is Washington, when the next expansion comes up). So like, for me, the most logical destinations for me feel like the Bruins and Golden Knights, but I mean, the Bruins don't even have a huge need at center. I really have no idea.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

There's way more optimism here than on the Isles board. We really don't think he's staying. He would be crazy to re-sign with the Isles.



Sure, he was in a slump, but it seems like it ended a few games ago, he's fine now. And he was always slower in comparison to many other players, never stopped him from being good. I would say signing a guy who doesn't rely on his skating to score isn't that high risk.

I love JT, always was a fan of his. Always liked his professionalism and talents. But as I do on the mainboard, I always like to tell it as I see it. He's looked painfully slow in the 2nd half. He started the year great. He was producing, but Barzal's line was better 5 v 5. I don't think it is just seeing them side by side. But JT looks older all of a sudden. The Isles have a great deal invested in him, and from that perspective I can see the logic of re-signing JT. He has been such a fixture on the Island. It would be hard to see him leave.

 

[hamzarocks]

Could the pens make it work capwise?. If they got tavares they become the Golden State Warriors of the nhl but with better depth on their roster. If he wants to win, the pens are the best option. Depends how much cap the pens got and if tavares would sign for a discount to win.

 

[Leonardo87]

Hopefully the Rangers. They will have the cap space to make a push for him, and as much as I love Zibanejad he is more of a 1B center. But reality, he likely stays with the Islanders.

 

[Benstheman]

I think you're wrong. Vegas and Zona are in better positions to offer him max contract and he'll only use that as leverage to get a better deal from a team he actually wants to play for

He was talking about Carolina

 

[Note Worthy]

I mean, it's hard to say. How does he weigh being in contention, familiarity, privacy, media attention, and money? You could make a case for any of the Islanders, Canadiens, Rangers, Panthers, Lightning, Blues, Sharks, Flames, Golden Knights, Red Wings, or Avalanche, and maybe even the Maple Leafs, Sabres, Flyers, or Bruins.

If you go around, the Canadiens, Rangers, Blues, and Flames have pieces, and they have cap space, but they're all coming off bad seasons when they thought they'd contend.

This was a retool year for the Blues. We were overachieving at the beginning of the year which is the reason why we're able to fight for a playoff spot right now. We didn't expect to contend this year.

 

[TheGoldenGod]

STL finally adds the missing ingredient. (Legitimate top line C)

Fabbri - Tavares - Tarasenko (West version of TBL's top line)
Schwartz - Schenn - Kyrou
Berglund - Thomas - Steen
Sobotka - Brodziak - Soshnikov

Edmundson - Pietrangelo
Dunn - Parayko
Gunnarson - Bortuzzo

Barbashev/Thorburn/Schmaltz

-Multiple core players in their primes (25-29) (Tavares, Tarasenko, Schwartz, Schenn, Petro, Parayko, Edmundson)
-Speedy and dynamic youth providing secondary scoring (Kyrou, Thomas, Fabbri, Dunn)
-Reliable veteran depth and grit (Steen, Brodizak, Berglund, Sobotka, Thorbs, Bortuzzo, Gunnarson)
-Reliable and competitive fringe talent (Soshnikov, Babashev, Schmaltz)

= Contender

 

[Instant]

I love JT, always was a fan of his. Always liked his professionalism and talents. But as I do on the mainboard, I always like to tell it as I see it. He's looked painfully slow in the 2nd half. He started the year great. He was producing, but Barzal's line was better 5 v 5. I don't think it is just seeing them side by side. But JT looks older all of a sudden. The Isles have a great deal invested in him, and from that perspective I can see the logic of re-signing JT. He has been such a fixture on the Island. It would be hard to see him leave.

Then we just see things differently. It's possible. He looks just fine to me right now. At the begining of this season he was as close to his 'beast mode' as he was in last two years, but that never lasts for very long. And his line is producing just fine right now. At the begining of the season they were incredible, now they're back to their normal effectiveness (which isn't bad).

But I have to agree, Tavares looks bad. Like he's defeated. This organisation finally broke him after 9 years.

Right now I don't think the Isles should re-sign him. Fire Snow, fire Weight, get some competent people and do almost a complete re-build around Barzal. We have enough vets to be there for the younger guys, some contracts we need to end before we'll be able to seriously compete and right now Tavares' contract would get in a way of this. Let him win the Cup somewhere else. (That is if Barzal wants to stick with this shitty team for a few more years, which I'm guessing he may not want to do.)