July 1, 2018, will never sit well amongst New York Islanders fans after watching their long-time captain, John Tavares, flee in free agency to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Seven years later, the former captain likely played his last game with the Leafs after dropping Game 7 to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday, and his tenure did not go according to plan.
Tavares grew up in Canada and was a diehard fan of the Maple Leafs. He even posted a picture of himself sleeping in Maple Leaf bed sheets at a young age when he inked his seven-year, $77 million contract.
Just two years removed from his wrap-around goal in Game 6 against the Florida Panthers in double overtime to snap a 23-year playoff series drought, he turned his face not only to the Islanders organization, but the fanbase that loved and adored him the moment he arrived on Long Island in 2009.
The Islanders organization did everything it could to retain its No. 1 overall draft pick. They offered Tavares a max eight-year, $88 million contract, which was one year longer for the same AAV.
In addition to the longer contract offer, they signed Josh Bailey to a six-year, $30 million contract extension — one of Tavares’ favorite and closest teammates during his tenure on Long Island. He still turned them down.
To play devil’s advocate, in the summer of 2018, Tavares had a chance to play for the team he grew up loving. At the time, Toronto was trending upwards, while New York just missed the playoffs yet again, adding another failure of a season to Tavares’ resume.
After the Doug Weight and Garth Snow regime crashed and burned, New York brought in Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello, who single-handedly pulled this team out of the darkness.
Over the last seven years, Islanders fans have not let him forget about his decision. Whether it was blowout losses at Nassau Coliseum or rancorous receptions, he was never welcomed back.
Islanders vs Maple Leafs since 2018
- Playoff Appearances: Islanders (60 GP), Maple Leafs (56 GP)
- Playoff Record: Islanders (31-29), Maple Leafs (26-31)
- Eastern Conference Finals Appearances: Islanders (2), Maple Leafs (0)
- Playoff Series Wins: Islanders (6), Maple Leafs (2)
- Furthest Playoff Run: Islanders (ECF), Maple Leafs (Second Round)
- John Tavares’ All-Star Appearances: Islanders (5), Maple Leafs (1)
- John Tavares: $77 million, 31 playoff points
- Josh Bailey: $30 million, 39 playoff points
He was supposed to be the savior – the one who brought this team to the Stanley Cup. Had the Islanders retained Tavares, they may not have had some of their core pieces like Brock Nelson or Anders Lee, but they would’ve had more star power for the Tampa Bay Lightning during the back-to-back ECF runs in 2020 and 2021.
There’s no guarantee that the Isles would have won a championship or would’ve gone on those magical playoff runs, but one thing that will remain true is that Tavares never reached the heights he was searching for when he went to Toronto.
