Islanders News: John Tavares sees a lot of ins, lot of outs, lot of what-have-yous

Wednesday was a big day in Islanders Country and, more specifically, the long-running drama of whether their Most Important Player and captain will re-sign with the team before he can become a free agent in 2018.

John Tavares spoke with media about his contract status and, while anything short of “I’m signing tomorrow” will disappoint Islanders fans, he certainly cited all the practical, realistic reasons that might keep a man from signing today what he can more easily (and with more information) sign tomorrow.

In short, if you take the “It’s okay. I get where he’s coming from. I still see him far more likely signing with the Isles” view of the current situation, then everything he told media yesterday fits right in and makes sense.

In other words: The Isles don’t know where they’ll be playing in a couple of seasons, that affects the kind of contract a man is willing to sign, and the player who knows he will get top dollar and term wherever he goes is under no obligation nor compulsion to sign before he gets more info.

Islanders Reads

Extensive interviews with Tavares in Newsday, the Times and the Post:

• Yes, arena uncertainty is a factor.
• Yes, he believes the current team is a contender.
• Yes, the Strome and Hamonic trades created mixed emotions but he has hope for chemistry with Jordan Eberle.
• Yes, he likes the new owners.
• Yes, a man who can garner an eight-year deal has much to think about.
• Yes, he intends to consider “everything” because it’s his life and he’s under no pressure to decide before he has as much info as he can get.
• No, he’s not concerned whether his contract status is a bother to you, because he doesn’t see it as a distraction for himself. [Newsday | Times | Post]
• In Corey Pronman’s top 100 prospects, Mathew Barzal is #3, Josh Ho-Sang is #39, Kieffer Bellows is #89. [E$PN]
• Like, um, MSG is casting REAL LIFE FANS for a shoot to promote the Isles, the Smurfs, and the ex-Scouts/Rockies. [MSG]
• Barclays and now Nassau Coliseum operator Mikhail Prokhorov is supposedly pressuring the Isles to play games in the gently refurbished but still terribly flawed Coliseum. Good luck with that. [Post]

Elsewhere

• Meanwhile, Leon Draisaitl done got paid. Max eight years, over $8 million per season. [Copper & Blue | CBC]
• Matt Cullen will leave the Penguins to play a 20th(!) NHL season back home with the Wild. [Star-Tribune | Hockey Wilderness]
• Why the Jets could be good, like playoff good, maybe. [SB Nation]
• Somebody high enough up to send a company region-wide memo really screwed up, telling CBS properties in Vegas to literally not cover or mention the Golden Knights, the region’s only major pro sports team. Then they retracted, apologized, etc. Weird. [SB Nation | Puck Daddy]
• The best players to never actually play college hockey. [SBN College Hockey]