John Tavares, who is entering the final season of his contract with the Islanders, sounds like a player who wants to stay right where he is.
Tavares, 26, is the Islanders’ captain and has led the team in scoring in seven of his eight seasons since being the No. 1 pick in 2009. But he can be an unrestricted free agent next July and could command the type of eight-year, $100 million deal recently signed by the Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid. But Tavares said he hoped his contract situation could be settled before the Islanders open their season on Oct. 6 at Columbus.
“I can’t say that’s what will happen, though,” Tavares said by telephone Wednesday from Toronto, where he trains during the off-season. “You can’t predict how things go. Sometimes the process takes a little bit longer than maybe what people expect. You just kind of allow it to happen.”
He sounded more focused on blending with new linemates and getting his team off to a fast start in the competitive Metropolitan Division than on fretting about a new contract.
“The organization and my teammates know me well enough and how much I enjoy playing here and my commitment to the team,” said Tavares, who become captain four years ago and has helped the Islanders reach the playoffs in three of the past five seasons.
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The Islanders acquired right wing Jordan Eberle, who played with Tavares on the Canadian national team, from Edmonton in June. Eberle is likely to join Tavares and Anders Lee on the team’s top line — a welcome prospect for Tavares, who has sought a consistent pair of elite wingers in recent seasons.
“Jordan has great scoring depth — very proven, as well,” Tavares said. “I’m sure things will be tried. We’ll see how things start off. You certainly want chemistry with everybody.”
Roster maneuvers notwithstanding, the other major concern for the Islanders is where they will play over the term of Tavares’s next contract. The team appears likely to leave Barclays Center in Brooklyn after the coming season or the 2018-19 campaign. New York State recently issued a request for proposals to redevelop the area near the Belmont Park racetrack on the Queens-Nassau County border, and the Islanders are expected to be involved in that process.
After 43 years at Nassau Coliseum, the team left after the 2014-15 season. The Coliseum reopened last spring after a renovation that reduced its capacity. The Islanders will play a preseason game there on Sept. 17.
Tavares is waiting for an arena resolution along with his teammates, who practice near their Long Island homes and commute to Brooklyn for games.
“It’s not something I can really control and not something I think about every day,” Tavares said, although he added that any player looking to sign or re-sign with a team was going to consider where it played.
“You look at everything when looking to sign a contract in my situation, where possibly it could be eight years if I’m lucky enough to earn that,” he said.
Tavares added that he was heartened by what he considered to be the team’s new direction under the majority owners, Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin, including their desire to broaden the fan base beyond Long Island.
“It’s exciting to see people like that come in and be as passionate as they are,” he said, “building something not just for a few years but for a long time.”
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