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?
The Pitch
How do you get a player like John Tavares to pick you in this Sadie Hawkins dance style charade?
History and Tradition should – and with a guy like Cam Neely in the front office absolutely will – be at the forefront of the conversation.
More from Chowder and Champions
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win
This is the Boston Bruins: an Original Six franchise. Not to mention they’re one of the only Original six teams not to be in desperate need of a rebuild. How much of the conversation is focused on the youth of the team?
For argument and pipedream’s sake, let’s say he does like the Boston Bruins pitch the best. How quickly can you trade players like David Krejci and David Backes to make room for him on the team? Do either of those players have value around the league? Or do their contracts make them undesirable?
While the Bruins do have close to $12M to maneuver this offseason, Tavares will likely cost between $11-$11.5M annually.
Does his signing get in the way of going after a left shot defenseman? Can the Bruins resign Anton Khudobin to an extension? Because Zane McIntyre is nowhere near ready to get even backup playing time in the NHL. Do they lose the ability to sign all of Jake DeBrusk, Ryan Donato and Charlie McAvoy to long-term, Pastrnak style extensions?
Again, the caveat here is the fact that all three of these players aren’t up for market-breaking contracts.
However, the Tavares contract could prove detrimental to the operation in Boston when compounded with the other contracts on the team.
The Promised Land
But oh, how sweet it would be if decided to play here. The Boston Bruins would finally have the pieces – up front at least – to match the Lightning in a playoff series. They’d probably even win, too. If paired with David Pastrnak on the first line*, you could see the first 100-point scorer in a Bruins uniform since Joe Thornton in 2002-03. (*Obviously, Bergeron and Marchand would also considered the first line. The Bruins would have two first lines. Wowza.)
They’d acquire another leader in the room, with Tavares wearing the “C” for the Islanders since 2013. Your power play instantly becomes leaps and bounds better. In that scenario, it would all be a matter of where he slots in. Does he play the point next to Charlie McAvoy? Or is he up on one of the wings beside Bergeron? You’re looking at Pittsburgh Penguins level good.
Bergeron and Tavares rivaling Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as the best 1-2 punch at center in the NHL. Gives me goosebumps. The Bruins signing Tavares could go a long way in rectifying past mistakes. He could serve as penance for letting Tyler Seguin and Blake Wheeler go. Furthermore, it could rectify passing on Mat Barzal three times in 2015.
Next: Boston Bruins: It's time to move on from Torey Krug
The long and short of it is simple. Tavares doesn’t deserve to be in the same breath as Barry Bonds and Dan Marino in terms of playoff success. His skill set and hockey IQ are far too good to wither away on the Island. He deserves Cups, and parades down Boylston Street in the sweltering Boston summer.
Some people don’t want to admit they deserve the best things for them. I just hope John Tavares isn’t that type of guy.