Tavares return to Long Island

[Morbo]

I find it amazing that NYI's lose their franchise C and Leafs add their franchise C (free of asset loss) and the 2 teams are tied in the standings with 76 points.

A non playoff team loses their best player and improves and the team that adds him in our Leafs needs his addition to keep pace with the former non playoff team.

It's not really that amazing, one team is getting .930 goaltending.

 

[Daisy Jane]

If the shoe was on the other foot someday, I just hope Leaf Nation is able to put on such a brave face if a franchise centre walks away as a UFA that they took #1OA and invested so much in.

You mean - like Sundin?
who left?
people were mad - but they weren't talking about hurting him AND HIS FAMILY. they didn't hound him on every single tweet.

When he came back he was shown the love and respect he deserved. People are (still) mad for him not giving up his NMC and getting assets and I get it. but the complete and utter vitrol being spewed tavares way isn't justified at all. so yeah. Mess. Leafs Nation has gone through it, over and over again. again. Get over it, clap his time there, and move on.

 

[kevynadams42]

It's not really that amazing, one team is getting .930 goaltending.

Curious how sustainable it is. Though if they can hang onto first place and draw a Carolina, Montreal, or Columbus, I could see them winning a round.

Their playoff home shifts from the Coliseum to Barclays after round 1 which is a deathwish. But I cannot see them beating Pitt or Washington anyway, so shouldn't really matter.

 

[Chardo]

That's not something worth praising - it's quite pathetic. The arena holds 13,000, for a fan base clamoring for the return of its team, tickets should be next to impossible. This notwithstanding that they are a first place club.

They sold out every game since becoming a first place club a month ago. It's 14,000 btw. If they had a full sized area they would sell that out too. Just like they did in the past.

 

[Chardo]

Thats pretty sad whats the numbers like in Brooklyn?

Terrible. Which is why they moved the rest of the season to Nassau. And why they're building a new arena at Belmont.

 

[Chardo]

Curious how sustainable it is. Though if they can hang onto first place and draw a Carolina, Montreal, or Columbus, I could see them winning a round.

Their playoff home shifts from the Coliseum to Barclays after round 1 which is a deathwish. But I cannot see them beating Pitt or Washington anyway, so shouldn't really matter.

It has been unsustainable all year. Except they keep sustaining it.

In the last few weeks, they destroyed Tampa, and shut out Toronto, Washington, and Columbus in their own buildings. They're showing they can beat anyone anywhere.

 

[kevynadams42]

They sold out every game since becoming a first place club a month ago. It's 14,000 btw. If they had a full sized area they would sell that out too. Just like they did in the past.

They've never had a full size arena. Selling out a 14,000 seat arena is no accomplishment. Not selling it out -especially given the circumstances (i.e. return of team to old arena, surprise success)- is pathetic.

I do hope the Belmont deal goes through, though. I live in the city, I go to a lot of hockey games here, the Isles need a home, no doubt. I will be pretty upset if the NIMBY's in Floral Park stop it.

 

[TOGuy14]

I happen to be in NY next week for work so I was going to grab tickets but:

1. They are crazy expensive for this game
2. They are playing in LI not Brooklyn. Wouldn't have any problems taking the 4/5 over to Brooklyn but getting all the way out to Nassau is a huge pain in the ass.

Will find a good sports bar to watch the game in though.

 

[A4T1L6]

This is how you welcome your captain back, will Tavares get this? Nah just some lame chants. Oh well.

 

[ER89]

I just want to say TWS is a bitch. And I am so glad JT is a leaf.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Honestly I don’t get the fuss. Tavares never wanted to be a NYI. Why force him to a lifetime of misery with that team? Someone should tell them Lincoln freed the slaves 150 years ago. We loaned him to NYI for a few years, and now he’s back where he always wanted to be. Instead of whining, they should be getting down on their knees and thanking us for letting them have him for a few years.

Jeremy Bracco is from Long Island. If he wants to leave us for NYI in 7 years, he is free to leave. And unlike them, us classy Leafs fans will let him leave with good spirits.

 

[Buds17]

I find it amazing that NYI's lose their franchise C and Leafs add their franchise C (free of asset loss) and the 2 teams are tied in the standings with 76 points.

A non playoff team loses their best player and improves and the team that adds him in our Leafs needs his addition to keep pace with the former non playoff team.

NYI has had an incredible turnaround. Not questioning or diminishing that whatsoever. Same points, but one team is third in their division while the other is in first place in theirs. Have to also account for what's going on with the other teams around each of them. All divisions aren't going to be equal all of the time though. Just the way it works sometimes.

 

[ER89]

It has been unsustainable all year. Except they keep sustaining it.

In the last few weeks, they destroyed Tampa, and shut out Toronto, Washington, and Columbus in their own buildings. They're showing they can beat anyone anywhere.

So? Arizona beat the leafs twice and TB as well. The Isles ain't shit.

 

[Jozay]

Tavares' former teammates not buying criticisms of his character - Sportsnet.ca

 

[Cotton]

Tavares' former teammates not buying criticisms of his character - Sportsnet.ca

Robbie Schremp also almost bit his tongue off trying to backtrack out of what he said.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Tavares' former teammates not buying criticisms of his character - Sportsnet.ca

That’s because the only character criticism is that he didn’t spend his life in bondage with that team, even though slavery is now illegal. Unlike their fans, his former teammates understand his rights as a UFA.

 

[Leafs1991]

If the shoe was on the other foot someday, I just hope Leaf Nation is able to put on such a brave face if a franchise centre walks away as a UFA that they took #1OA and invested so much in.

It wouldn't bother me. Its their right to change teams.

 

[Patmac40]

Yeah the guy who took a sweetheart 6-year deal (eating a year of UFA status) after hitting a ppg in his last year of his ELC, gave all he had to the NYI during these years while the team squandered away any chance of providing him with help, and made a ton of money for his linemates during this time is such a terrible guy and such a traitor for using his rights granted to him in the CBA to go to a team he loved when he was a kid and actually didn't even take the most amount of money available to him on the market. Yeah he didn't say during the year that he was intending on moving and maybe he wasn't, maybe it was a decision he made when the offers were out there and discussed everything with his family. He deserved the right to go see what was out there for him. He earned every bit of that.

And you have a guys like Rob Schremp come give his two-cents saying JT's a selfish guy although the only thing Schremp was good at was being on the ice by himself with the opposing goalie. Or Arron Asham calling him a traitor even though he signed deals with every division rival of the Islanders after he played there. Self-awareness is a pretty important trait.

The Islanders have certainly been impressive with their record this year. They've got a great coach there now as opposed to the Capuano era that JT endured, and great goaltending this year way beyond expectations, much better than some form of Halak, Nabakov, Dipietro and Roloson that JT had. They've also been running on a bit of a pace of unsustainability that Leaf fans should know pretty well. Not to say that they aren't a good team but they're certainly punching above their weight class to prove it to us. It might trend down at some point but we'll see.

There will be boos raining down on Tavares in this game, that's for sure. But the people who continue to vilify JT for his decision screaming selfishness and traitor are really showing their true colours to me and ought to start turning that message around on themselves.

 

[Brown Dog]

This is going to be a tough one for JT, no doubt. I just hope his teammates do a better job of supporting him than they did when NYI came to town.

Would love to see someone like Matthews or Marner take over the game and quiet the crowd.

 

[Mess]

I thought you were a Leafs fan?

They sit over there trashing everything Leafs/Toronto/Canada, went after JT's wife, have threatened violence against Leafs fans all because Tavares signed here as a free agent and you are defending that nonsense by calling it a "brave face"?

No the brave face was directed IF we would be in the same position when Matthews becomes a UFA at age 26.

 

[al secord]

No the brave face was directed IF we would be in the same position when Matthews becomes a UFA at age 26.

Fingers crossed, eh?

 

[Gabriel426]

Pretty sure if JT signed with the Shraks, most of all these non sense won't be discussed. They hate on JT leaving but also hate the fact that he went to the Leafs.

 

[BayStreetBully]

There was no such offer sheet. Tavares never hit RFA. He resigned with Islanders in 2011.

You're the one who said you would change jobs if it was better for you, the very definition of selfish. Don't turn it around on me.

You should be thanking us and Tavares he never signed an offer sheet with the Leafs back then. He gave you an extra 6 years post-ELC when he didn’t have to. Heck, he didn’t even have to sign with you upon being drafted. He gave you 9 years, and it’s still not enough for selfish NYI fans. Talk about being ungrateful. Given how Isles fans have shown their true colors, Tavares probably wishes he had never signed with you at all, in 2009 or 2011.

 

[Patmac40]

Also, at least what was out in the media around the trade deadline last year, was that JT didn't want to be traded and wanted help them get into the playoffs. They were 4 points out of a WC spot at the trade deadline. He put up 20 points in his last 17 games and they finished 17(!!) points out of a playoff spot. I'm sure he still wanted to come back to NYI and seeing what's out there and the cohesive plans in place from other teams definitely swayed him.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Islanders fans have been extremely open about wanting to harm leafs fans, as well as Tavares and his wife. I really hope they don't assault anyone, but they seem like a pretty messed up group

Pretty sure J.T. is smart enough to not have his wife attend this particular game. That would be extremely dumb to have her go to the game.

Leafs management does need to get in contact with the league to ensure security is up to par that night. Make certain the hotel is guarded. This has the chance to get real ugly.