John Tavares Quiet On Contract Negotiations

New York Islanders’ superstar forward John Tavares is the center of much speculation regarding his future in the league as he enters the final year of his current contract. The 26-year old will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st of next year and has been eligible for an extension for more than a month.

Speaking with TSN at a Power Edge Pro event in Burlington, Ontario, Tavares was asked about the ongoing negotiations with his club and where he sees himself down the road:

I think I’ll just keep all that internal. I think we’ve had great open communication. It’s obviously a great place to play, and I’ve really enjoyed my time being an Islander and want that to continue. For me I just want to focus on the upcoming season, being at my best and being able to contribute.

Tavares has never indicated that he has any desire to leave New York, though many have linked the franchise’s struggles finding a new arena and underwhelming success on the ice as reasons he could look elsewhere for his next big contract. The team would sure like to sign him for eight seasons and keep their franchise center in the mix as long as possible.

The longer the negotiations linger the more speculation there will be, but it certainly doesn’t mean the two sides are growing further apart. There is still an entire year to come to an agreement, even if it pushes right to the last minute like Steven Stamkos a year ago. Stamkos even took meetings with other teams before deciding to re-sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning long-term, a similar situation to how the Tavares situation may play out.

Remember, the team who owns his rights can offer him an eighth contract year which would be Tavares’ age-35 season. That year is likely extremely valuable to a young player, and could cause a trade of his rights should the two sides not be able to find common ground. As it happens, Tavares is primed to have a big season after the Islanders acquired Jordan Eberle to add some scoring punch to the wing and should have an improved offensive group with the graduation of Joshua Ho-Sang to a full-time player.