Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

The Sun Will Come Out Tavare-o

May 16, 2018, 10:59 PM ET [43 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT




John Tavares was the first overall selection at the 2009 NHL Draft. The Mississauga native will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 when his six-year, $33 million contract expires.

Tavares, 27, will be looking to break the bank with his new multi-year contract.

Tavares is reportedly open for business and is willing to give consideration to all possibilities.

The NY Islanders (35-37-10, 80 points) missed the playoffs in 2017-18. In his nine-years NHL career with the Islanders, Tavares has made the playoffs only three times. He has scored 11G, 11A in 24 playoffs games.

In 669 career NHL regular season games, Tavares has scored 272 goals and 349 assists.





Tavares is in the prime years of his sensational NHL career. He wants to win a Stanley Cup. He knows that he won’t be considered an elite-level star player until he takes his team to a Stanley Cup Final and wins a championship.

Tavares wants to win now. The days of him being patient and waiting for better days to happen with the Islanders have come and gone. It appears likely that Tavares will be leaving the Islanders and moving on. He will be pursued by a dozen NHL teams. Tavares will hand select the next team he wants to play for. He will be paid a kings ransom on the open market.

Where will he finally land? Nobody knows.

Yet.

Like his good friend Steven Stamkos had to endure two summers ago, Tavares will be trending more and more with each passing day between now and July 1. Stamkos re-signed with the Bolts after months of speculation that he would test free agency. I don’t see Tavares re-signing with the Islanders.

Suffice to say, there are several NHL teams circling Camp Tavares. Among them are the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Add another contender to the growing list of the Tavares suitors: The Buffalo Sabres.

TSN NHL play by play man Gord Miller said in a radio interview on Wednesday the Sabres are a legitimate destination for Tavares when unrestricted free agency opens on July 1.

“Well, I think, you know, the one that has come out of this. The consensus that, you know, I’ve sort of talking to people (inside the NHL) since the lottery (April 28), I think it makes Buffalo a legitimate contender to get John Tavares. Right? Because Tavares wants to win. That’s his number one thing. He wants to win and he wants to play in a hockey market. Well, Buffalo is good hockey market. And now you’ve got Rasmus Dahlin coming (2018 NHL Draft 1st overall pick, Buffalo). You’ve already got Rasmus Ristolainen. They’ve got (Jack) Eichel. They’ve got an owner willing to spend money. It (Buffalo) is close to home, but, it’s not Toronto with all the scrutiny. His Uncle John played lacrosse in Buffalo (Buffalo Bandits) for years—he’s a legend there. All of a sudden, with Buffalo winning the draft lottery, they (Sabres) look like a team a lot of players would want to play for, Miller told TSN 690.”


Miller makes excellent points.

Don’t let their 31st place finish in 2017-18 mislead you nor taint your opinion.

The Buffalo Sabres are on the verge of being a perennial playoff team once again.

It’s been seven seasons since Terry and Kim Pegula purchased the Sabres, who have not made the playoffs in that period of time. Money is no object to the Pegulas. They have placed their trust in Jason Botterill and Phil Houlsey to restore the winning ways in Buffalo. Tavares knows what hockey means to Western New Yorkers and hockey fanatics in the Niagara Peninsula. There are 8.5 million consumers in the 70-mile chunk of real estate between downtown Buffalo and downtown Toronto. Sabres fans are passionate consumers of all things hockey. Buffalo’s household TV ratings for NHL hockey are routinely in the top three of all U.S. TV markets. Tavares knows Buffalo like the back of his lax gloves. It wasn’t that long ago that he was the ball boy for the Buffalo Bandits indoor lacrosse team. Uncle Johnny Tavares, the GOAT indoor lax player, once told me that his nephew is the best lacrosse player and best athlete in the Tavares family. Uncle Johnny told me that with a straight face. I believed him when he said it. I believe him today. Young John Tavares is a special breed of athlete. He has all the talent and the IQ to be one of the best players of the modern era in the NHL. He’s looking for a place to happen.

Why not Buffalo?

Buffalo is a prime destination for Tavares and other A-List NHLers who are looking to win and get paid while doing so.

Botterill has several elite players already in place in Jack Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly, Casey Mittelstadt, Samson Reinhart, and Rasmus Ristolainen. Rasmus Dahlin will add world-class skill when he is selected first overall at the NHL Draft in Dallas in late June.

Tavares’ very close friend Kyle Okposo is already on board in Buffalo. Matt Moulson is on loan to the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League. Botterill would be wise to offer a Moulson-Tavares-Okposo reunion in Buffalo. Moulson has one year remaining on his current contract at $5M AAV.

When the NHL salary cap rises to $81 million for 2018-19 (expected announcement in June), Botterill will have north of $20 million in available salary cap space for next season.
Is Botterill willing to commit $11M (or more) AAV to Tavares? For 6 years? 7 years?

Botterill spent 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a hated Metro Division rival of the NY Islanders. Botterill had a front row seat to observe the greatness that is John Tavares.

What would become of Ryan O’Reilly if Botterill were to land Tavares on July 1? Were I Sabres GM, I would keep O’Reilly and play him on the wing. O’Reilly is a versatile forward. During his days in Colorado, ROR played all three forward positions. He is currently playing wing for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships in Denmark. I would allow O’Reilly to take draws then transition to the wing after he wings the draw. Perhaps flexing ROR to the wing would simplify his game and allow him to be more creative and aggressive in the offensive zone. With O’Reilly on the wing, my centers would be Eichel-Tavares-Mittelstadt.


💯💯💯 #Isles with the overtime victory!

A post shared by New York Islanders (@ny_islanders) on