Boston Bruins rumors: A closer look at John Tavares
By Paul Doran
The Boston Bruins have a chance to make a huge free agent signing this July, after reports surfaced that John Tavares will take a meeting with the Black and Gold.
We live in a strange time as followers of the Boston Bruins.
The coaching staff replaced the hard, heavy game with speed and agility. Management has started to put real value into prospects and young roster players. Prospects that the Amateur Scouting department – run by Associate Director Ryan Nadeau – have identified and curated from junior leagues around the world. Gone are the days of drafting Zach Hamill over Logan Couture.
The Black and Gold have found that winning culture that brought them to two Stanley Cups at the beginning of this decade. Only this time, instead of brute strength as the guiding light, they’re following finesse.
The only thing standing in the way of them and Lord Stanley’s summit – outside of help on defense – is a franchise altering free agent signing.
With reports surfacing of New York Islanders centerpiece centerman John Tavares having a meeting with the Bruins before the free agent signing period begins on July 1st, the Bruins could/might be on the precipice of acquiring that player.
Tavares, as noted by our own Sam Minton, has mostly seen his talents and elite skill set go to waste as a member of the Islanders. This is true of most things that exist on Long Island, but I digress. In his nine seasons with the Isles, they’ve only managed to make the playoffs three times. Of those three, they only made it out of the first round in 2015-16.
Over his career, he’s tallied 621 points in 669 games (.93 points per game.) He’s as prolific a scorer as he is a playmaker, scoring 28 or more goals in seven of his nine years. He’s been a finalist for the Hart trophy twice, made five all-star games, and finished fifth in Calder voting in his rookie year.
The man is a stud. A franchise altering player. If the Bruins signed him, he’d have as much of an impact – if not more – on this franchise as Zdeno Chara did when he signed with the team in 2006.
It should be noted that this meeting is no more than an NBA-style meet and greet. It doesn’t imply that Tavares is a lock for the Bruins next season. This could be nothing more than a leverage play on his part when you consider what’s stacked up against the Bruins.
There are still five other teams who get to strut their stuff – Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, and the Islanders. Boston can’t offer him the elusive eighth year that the Islanders can. And in the free-agency era, a guy like Tavares could find the Ted Williams route appealing, and opt to sign with the Islanders for life.
There’s also a tweet from Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest reporting that the San Jose Sharks are his number one choice if he were to leave the Island. There’s a myriad of things standing in the way of the Boston Bruins landing John Tavares. But who do you think you are trying to stop me from enjoying this?