I agree.
I'm confused with those saying to pursue Duchene/Nugent-Hopkins if JT leaves. Even with Tavares, they are lacking another elite player.
If Tavares leaves, you need to liquidate, but my biggest problem is that if Tavares leaves after the season, NYI misses out on deadline returns for....
Bailey
Chimera
de Haan
Halak
Hickey
Seidenberg
and potentially...
Eberle
Lee
Nelson
not to mention...
Tavares
You could potentially go into the next two drafts with 10+ picks each, which would combine with the pieces already in place (Leddy/Boychuk/Pulock as your top three, Greiss as your starter) to fast track a rebuild the correct way. Obviously guys like Boychuk and Greiss will not be around for the next wave of success (and maybe not even Leddy), but having veterans in those positions is huge to helping nurture guys like Barzal whom defense doesn't naturally come easy for.
If you're going to rebuild, you need to have lots of picks and a respectable backend to help develop your young forwards.
If NYI loses Tavares to UFA, not only do they lose the face of the franchise, their star player, and elite centerman, but they also lose the returns of many quality players that are on expiring contracts in the next 24 months as well. I really think going into the season with an unsigned Tavares will lead to a lost season for multiple reasons.