News Article: Sour Grapes: Lou not happy with how he lost Tavares

[Guy Boucher]

It was well known that Tavares and every other UFA has until June 30 to re-sign with their current team if they want an 8 year contract. Tavares earned the right to speak with others teams and he choose to leave. 2 Years earlier we saw Steven Stamkos do the same thing and he decided to re-sign in Tampa for 8 years.

I have nothing against what JT did. In fact JT used the week as it's supposed to be used.

My interpretation is that Lou is upset that other players were committing to teams 2-3 days into the week, and probably weren't open to pitches by the time he came around knocking.

I could understand him feeling that this was abuse of the 'talking period' since firm commitments weren't supposed to be made during that week.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Not saying they would sign with the Isles, but I would understand feeling upset that you couldn't make a good enough pitch because guys were committing 2 and 3 days into the week.

In the case of Tavares it wasn't until the Friday before July 1 that he wanted to play in Toronto. Even before they hired Lamoriello they had since July 1, 2017 to re-sign him when Garth Snow was their GM, so it's not like they were under a serious deadline with Lou because he still had more than a month to re-sign him.

 

[LeafsNation75]

I have nothing against what JT did. In fact JT used the week as it's supposed to be used.

My interpretation is that Lou is upset that other players were committing to teams 2-3 days into the week, and probably weren't open to pitches by the time he came around knocking.

I could understand him feeling that this was abuse of the 'talking period' since firm commitments weren't supposed to be made during that week.

Maybe Lou should have sent his son who is one of their Assistant GM's to meet with other UFA's, instead of only deciding to focus on Tavares.

 

[horner]

Lou saying the process insight fair wow.
The leafs were gracious to give him time to talk to Tavares.
We could have held Lou of untill after the draft.
Wow just wow Lou.

 

[baton elevated]

This is all post signing drama. What can be expected. LL is talking a good game for the Islander fans because really if "Any Player " had any intentions of getting more money from NYI's they would have given the (Islanders) their oppurtunity. The truth of the matter clearly is, there was no intentions by any players to want to go there........period. Only scrubs will go for the playing opportunity and money. That's the sad reality for their franchise presently and we know all too well how that goes.

 

[BertCorbeau]

I don’t know what but reading that was so satisfying

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

Don't know why Lou, or Isles would be upset at the Leafs or Tavares. The choice was strictly JT's as a UFA.
I like the interview process. It a lot more honest than having from free agency start at 1201 AM July 1 and then guys are signing the next morning at 0900. Obviously there was "cheating " before. The week of interview makes things so much civil.

 

[BayStreetBully]

I don’t know what Lou is so upset about. Tavares already belonged to us. He was always ours. We just lent him out for 9 years.

 

[Superstar]

I don’t know what but reading that was so satisfying

Looks like Dubas found some grapes out of the bunch that were sweet, while Lou ended up eating the sour ones left over.

 

[Superstar]

Just sign another gritty 4th liner Lou.

But we don't have another UFA coming out of our books for him to sign...

 

[Nineteen67]

Honestly, that quote sounds like the kind of thing Donald Trump would say, especially declining to go into details about what was actually frustrating about the process.

"It's a terrible process, and we're really unhappy with it - It's a shame how it all went down, really. A shame. It's not what the League and the Union had in mind. Sad!"

MAGA would have signed JT

 

[Damisoph]

Well, Lou could have just rode into the sunset with some cushy mgmt job here but noooooo....had to be a GM again. Them's the breaks old man.

 

[supermann_98]

three.
you forgot Parise.

Four, almost forgot his illegal cap circumvention deal with Kovalchuk that cost his team what? Four 1st rounders or something like that? Until the league let him off the hook for the sake of the teams fan base basically giving up

 

[Judas Tavares]

Dinosaur gonna roar

 

[supermann_98]

Just rename Robidas Island to Long Island.

Zing

 

[Pookie]

The Founder of Robidas Island has a problem when the intent of a league rule doesn’t match the practice?

That’s either an ironic statement or a moronic one. I think this captures both:

 

[Stephen]

The entire Islanders Nation seems so entitled to owning John Tavares for life, like they could just continue to do whatever year after year but Tavares would re-sign and stay out of loyalty. You can understand that with the fanbase, but their new manager who hasn't been on the job for more than two months? Sour grapes to say the least.

 

[Superstar]

The Founder of Robidas Island has a problem when the intent of a league rule doesn’t match the practice?

That’s either an ironic statement or a moronic one. I think this captures both:

LOL...never seen that gif before...that's another level of dimwit when the ladder is right at his disposal.

 

[GoldenGOOSE]

Very strange..... I tend not to care about the NHL any more.... I know its all all arranged.

 

[Boutette]

But we don't have another UFA coming out of our books for him to sign...

Braun?

 

[Boutette]

Man, the Islander's are sour: fans, media, management.

This. At least when TML fans were screwed over by the likes of Ballard, Burke and the Muskoka 5 and got angry, we at least could recognize who the proper targets of our ire were.

 

[moon111]

Seeing Nylander and Matthews sporting facial hair represents one thing, a big fat middle finger to Lou.

Lou spent a lot of time acquiring players like: Plekanec, Boyle, Fehr, Kerby Rychel, Ben Smith, Colin Greening, etc. He didn't move JVR or Bozak. Signed Matt Martin. He did everything to make the Leaf the old New Jersey Devils. And as soon as his boots hit N.Y., he was right back to his old ways. Really think the G.M., Coach, and the players are all on the same page now. The Leafs are going to have a certain chemistry. If you can't skate fast, think fast, you're not going to play for the Leafs.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of the pitches being made, was Leaf players stating how they didn't like playing under Lou Lamoriello.

 

[Darth Menace]

I'm not sure why they are so bitter. By the sounds of it the Leafs did them a favour by taking the slowest guy in the league who couldn't score without the help of Barzal.

They took Polak????

 

[Battle Lin]

well no duh, imagine we lost matthews to some team, leave lou and them alone

 

[Voodoo Child]

Yes, because Lou never gamed the system, with that 17 year deal to Kovalchuk, or the whole Scott Stevens fiasco back in the early '90's...

And like we even did anything like that. The CBA allows a one week pitching period, we were on the list, we pitched and we just happened to win.

Judas Tavares, worst guy ever, taking a six year deal at 5.5 when he was worth probably 8 (based on % of the cap) to make it easier for the Islanders to build around him...they go out and spend the money on Andrew Ladd (5.5), Cal Clutterbuck (3.5) and Johnny Boychuk (6(!)).

Putting it in a way most can relate to (I say most because more and more I think HF is chock full of high school kids who aren't exactly top of the class), imagine you worked for a small company and you just had a promising quarter and it's time for your review. They say 'We want to build the team around you, but in order to do this most effectively, we can't pay you the 150k a year you want, we can go to 100, but we can bring in great people to surround you with with the savings, what do you say?'

So you agree, and then over the next six years you watch them bring in incompetent AA hires, people with drug and alcohol problems, a woman so pregnant that she literally bolts for a year on paid mat leave as soon as she finishes her training, older people with outdated ideas and the boss's kids. Like you wouldn't bolt to another shop that has its shit together for a little less than you're worth.

I also can't help but feel there's zero salt if he goes to Dallas but whatever.

But I won't shit on Lou's tenure here conpletely; the Martin deal was stupid but small potatoes in terms of cap (and he took him back!), gearing up for a deep playoff run you need depth and so keep JvR and Bozak, and I dislike the Middleton-Mattinen-Greenway big lumbering D picks, but if one of those guys hits he's hell valuable and makes up for taking five that bust. He helped to instill a culture that humbled players, he kept the media in the dark and he got us Freddy.

I'm glad he's gone but Lou was just what we needed when we needed it. He obtained some pieces and instilled a culture here, but we need someone more forward thinking at the helm.