Tavares

[Big Daddy]

I feel John Tavaras falls into the "to nice off a guy category" he is very unlikely to not sign and walk away.  It took Sundin half a season to come to terms with that emotion of walking away from the Leafs.  I feel these type of players would rather get traded so it's out of their hands so to speak, I realize they have NMC but it's not under their pursuit. I would love if we traded for him.

First extend Bozak to 3/18 and JVR to 3/21
NYI get Bozak, JVR, 2018 1st and any 2 of (Carrick, Neilson, Dermott, Rychel, Kapanen, Soshnikov)
Tor gets Tavaras and extend to 6/48

Marleau-Tavaras-Marner
Leivo-Matthews-Nylander
Komarov-Kadri-Brown
Martin-Moore-Fehr
Reilly-Hainsey
Gardiner-Zaitsev
Carrick- Rosen
Borgman

[Nik]

I've mentioned this before but it looks like the Stadium issue with the Islanders is going to be huge in Tavares' decision:

https://sports.yahoo.com/john-tavares-didnt-reject-islanders-deal-new-arena-key-165310279.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw

[Zee]

I hear Tavares is a Scotiabank scene member and is thrilled about the new name of the Leafs arena.

[Highlander]

Funny

[hockeyfan1]

I had first written up this thread last February 2016 when it was mentioned of the possibility of Johnny T becoming a Leaf in 2018.  The original reasons for Tavares' dissatisfaction (and seemingly for the rest of the Islanders) was mostly due to concerns about the Barclays Center not being suitable for the team in general for various reasons, of which I posted:

Circa 2016:
According to New York Post writer Larry Brooks, New York Islanders captain John Tavares may very well become a Toronto Maple Leaf in the year 2018.

Tavares, who's in his fourth year of a six year contract at $5.5M/Y, is frustrated with the Islanders state of affairs.  Firstly, the Islanders play at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, but practice in Long Island.  The commute is said to be tiring and many of the players including Tavares, are fed up of this arrangement.  There is currently no practice facility for the hockey team in Brooklyn, strange as it all sounds.

Secondly, considering that the Islanders haven't made much stride in their quest to advance in the playoffs (their early exit last season) and there's no telling how they will fare this post-season neither. 

With Tavares becoming an impending UFA in two years, the thought of him being signed by the Leafs will surely make many fans happy, even though Tavares will be all of 27 by then, but certainly a good addition to a Leaf team that may begin to blossom into a competitive unit.

Who knows?  We'll see.

http://www.tmlfans.ca/community/index.php?topic=3658.60

[Bullfrog]

He's an UFA next season and he's entering in the sixth year of his six year contract.

[KadriFan]

Yep sign Tavares, trade Nylander for a number one dman and look out cup!!!

[Nik]

Sometimes of course it helps to bring things that come with actual knowledge of the situation and context rather than simply regurgitating what other people write.

So, for instance, just saying the Islanders practice "in Long Island" isn't particularly helpful as Long Island, as the name implies, is a long island(that includes Brooklyn). To be specific the Islanders practice about 25 miles away from Barclays Center in the town of East Meadow which is part of Nassau County. Google says you can make the drive in about 50 minutes. Google also says, for what it's worth, that the drive from the Leafs practice facility in Etobicoke to the ACC in about 38 minutes. Call me a doubting Thomas but something tells me that the extra 10 or 15 minutes it takes to drive from the practice facility to the Arena isn't the biggest issue at play here.

Also, this isn't "strange" particularly. Brooklyn and New York real estate is some of the most expensive in the world. I doubt most teams have downtown practice facilities because of the cost. Again, the Leafs don't have one.

The issue with Tavares, as I said earlier in the thread, is that the Barclays Center is now acknowledged as a temporary home for the Islanders but the Islanders have never been able to make much progress in getting a new arena built in Nassau or Suffolk county. So where the Islanders will play long term is very much up in the air. For Tavares to make a long term commitment to the Islanders he probably wants to know where they'll be playing. 

[Significantly Insignificant]

Sorry, I'm going to derail the conversation a little bit, because I really don't know what Tavares is going to do.

I was doing a comparison between Tavares and McDavid in the OHL.  Both players were granted exceptional status and allowed to enter the OHL early.  I find it interesting that McDavid was labelled as the next face of the NHL early in to his second year, while Tavares had a lot of hype around him, but I don't think anyone thought that he was going to be a player who would challenge Crosby as being the best player on the planet.  Looking at Tavares second year in the OHL, he had 72 goals and 134 points in 67 games, whereas McDavid had 99 points in 56 games.  Oshawa may have been a stronger team than Erie though.

One of the things that separates them is their skating, as Tavares was never known as being a dynamic skater, whereas that is one of McDavid's strengths.  It's funny how scouts can look at a player that is as good as McDavid or Tavares and say one is a generational talent, whereas the other is a franchise center, but probably isn't going to be in the conversation for best player on the planet. 
     

[Nik]

Sorry, I'm going to derail the conversation a little bit, because I really don't know what Tavares is going to do.

I was doing a comparison between Tavares and McDavid in the OHL.  Both players were granted exceptional status and allowed to enter the OHL early.  I find it interesting that McDavid was labelled as the next face of the NHL early in to his second year, while Tavares had a lot of hype around him, but I don't think anyone thought that he was going to be a player who would challenge Crosby as being the best player on the planet.  Looking at Tavares second year in the OHL, he had 72 goals and 134 points in 67 games, whereas McDavid had 99 points in 56 games.  Oshawa may have been a stronger team than Erie though.

One of the things that separates them is their skating, as Tavares was never known as being a dynamic skater, whereas that is one of McDavid's strengths.  It's funny how scouts can look at a player that is as good as McDavid or Tavares and say one is a generational talent, whereas the other is a franchise center, but probably isn't going to be in the conversation for best player on the planet.       

Obviously there's no way to really measure this and I guess I'd agree that by their draft years McDavid was definitely mentioned as part of that really special sort of generational talent in a way I guess Tavares wasn't but man, I remember there being a ton of hype surrounding Tavares.

For instance, there was definitely talk that if he'd been eligible for the '08 draft that he'd have gone #1. Maybe not Crosby-level but definitely, say, that one step below.

[hockeyfan1]

He's an UFA next season and he's entering in the sixth year of his six year contract.

Thread posted circa 2016.  At the time, he was in the fourth year of his contract set to become a UFA in 2018.

[hockeyfan1]

Sometimes of course it helps to bring things that come with actual knowledge of the situation and context rather than simply regurgitating what other people write.

So, for instance, just saying the Islanders practice "in Long Island" isn't particularly helpful as Long Island, as the name implies, is a long island(that includes Brooklyn). To be specific the Islanders practice about 25 miles away from Barclays Center in the town of East Meadow which is part of Nassau County. Google says you can make the drive in about 50 minutes. Google also says, for what it's worth, that the drive from the Leafs practice facility in Etobicoke to the ACC in about 38 minutes. Call me a doubting Thomas but something tells me that the extra 10 or 15 minutes it takes to drive from the practice facility to the Arena isn't the biggest issue at play here.

Also, this isn't "strange" particularly. Brooklyn and New York real estate is some of the most expensive in the world. I doubt most teams have downtown practice facilities because of the cost. Again, the Leafs don't have one.

The issue with Tavares, as I said earlier in the thread, is that the Barclays Center is now acknowledged as a temporary home for the Islanders but the Islanders have never been able to make much progress in getting a new arena built in Nassau or Suffolk county. So where the Islanders will play long term is very much up in the air. For Tavares to make a long term commitment to the Islanders he probably wants to know where they'll be playing. 

And why regurgitate a thread when one already exists?

Your search skills need upgrading.

[Nik]

And why regurgitate a thread when one already exists?

I appreciate that paying attention to the finer points of things isn't your strong suit but the previous thread was in the media rumours section, which is where we talk about things mentioned in major media sources. This was posted to the General Rumours and Speculation board for, you know, general rumours and speculation. I didn't link to a media source because, again, I wasn't looking for people to comment on the veracity of a particular source or report but rather to foment a discussion on the general idea of Tavares coming to the team.

[Zee]

For some reason, I thought Tavares wasn't a UFA until July 2019...but he's actually a UFA THIS JULY.  Holy crap, I still think he'll re-sign in NY, but the Isles must be crapping their pants that he's 5 months away now.

[RedLeaf]

WARNING. 'Head in the Clouds' comment coming...

I know it would be virtually impossible, but if the Leafs could add Tavares and either Karlsson or Doughty without giving up a big name player, I'd have to think they'd become instant Stanley cup favourites.