Islanders Rumors: New York expected to offer John Tavares big contract extension
By Nick Ziegler
Recent New York Islanders rumors have emerged about their captain John Tavares. Is a big contract offer coming for him?
With the Stanley Cup Playoffs still ongoing, there haven’t been too many Islanders rumors with the offseason not quite underway.
After a slightly disappointing season, the Islanders will be trying to make it back to the playoffs in the 2017-18 season. With some uncertainty about where they will be playing in the near future, the Islanders have a very important offseason ahead of them.
Captain John Tavares will be entering the final year of his contract, and re-signing him is a must. Since being drafted by the Islanders, Tavares has been the face of the franchise for them, and a big offer is likely coming.
According to Arthur Staple of Newsday.com, the Islanders have kept the lines of communication open with Tavares, and they will likely be offering him a deal in the neighborhood of an eight-year, $80 million deal. Here’s what Staple said about the contract situation.
"He is eligible to sign a new deal on July 1 and the Islanders, from owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky on down, have spent the better part of a year keeping the lines of communication open with his agent, Pat Brisson, about the organization’s plans.The Islanders are likely to offer Tavares an eight-year contract worth upward of $10 million per season."
Keeping Tavares is certainly priority No.1 for the Islanders this offseason. Due to him being their best player, the Islanders can’t afford to lose Tavares in free agency.
If a deal isn’t reached this offseason, general manager Garth Snow might have to entertain the idea of trading Tavares. After having hand surgery recently, Tavares is expected to be ready for the start of next season.
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Even tough the Islanders missed the playoffs last season, they did play much better with Doug Weight as the head coach. Weight and Tavares have a good relationship as former teammates, and having him as the head coach could help keep Tavares in New York.