John Tavares Free Agency Drama Ends in Flight

John Tavares still says he reached the NHL trade deadline not wanting to leave the New York Islanders.

But the June free agent listening period he was determined to reach changed things, stirred his emotions, made for “heavy” decision-making, and he made his move: Leaving the team he called home since 2009 for the team based in his home since birth.

After an agonizing week for fans as he heard pitches from other teams, and another couple of days of near radio silence about what would happen next, a franchise era is over. Here are links to the posts of how we lived through it, and the reactions after the news broke.