New York Islanders: John Tavares Wants to Sign Extension This Offseason
New York Islanders captain John Tavares could have helped his team make one final push for a playoff spot, but instead, he had to watch them miss out by a single point. Of course, he couldn't really do anything about it anyway even if he did play because the Toronto Maple Leafs ended their playoff dreams for them with a 5–3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins during the weekend.
Tavares missed the final five games with a lower-body injury and his offseason is going to start sooner than anticipated. He is entering the final year of his contracts next season and he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2018. However, Tavares wants to stay with the Islanders and he's hoping to sign an extension this summer.
"You'd like to get something done as soon as possible. But at the same time it's a process and we've seen other guys go through it where it doesn't necessarily happen the first day it can happen. I'm just speaking out loud. We'll see how things go. Like I've said before and during the season, I've never had to worry about it because it's just not that time yet," Tavares said on Monday, according to NFL.com.
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"Now as the time approaches we'll start going through the process of talking and getting there," he added.
Tavares may not be willing to negotiate during the season if the Islanders fail to lock him up to a long-term deal this summer, so it is imperative that they get this done soon.
The Islanders have already made a move this offseason by removing the "interim" tag from head coach Doug Weight's title. Hopefully, the next item on the list is to give Tavares an extension. He is eligible to sign a new deal on the first day of free agency (July 1).
