John Tavares' exit from the New York Islanders caused quite a commotion among the fans on Long Island. The sight of their captain, who had served them loyally for nine seasons, leaving to join the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency was a bitter pill to swallow.
The Islanders Wished to Keep Tavares
At the time, the General Manager of the Islanders, Garth Snow, made a surprising revelation about the team's intentions regarding Tavares. He stated that the team owner, Scott Malkin, was determined not to trade Tavares under any circumstances and was fully committed to re-signing him. Snow recalls a conversation with Malkin:
"The decision by Scott Malkin was that we weren't going to trade him under any circumstances," Snow said. "He was totally committed to re-signing him. I think the quote I had said is, ‘Are you willing to drive the car off the cliff if you go through the season and get to free agency?' He was comfortable with that. That's the bottom line."
Snow Defends Tavares
Must read on Daily Hockey Dose
As many are aware, Tavares has been subjected to a lot of hate messages following his departure from New York to join Toronto. Even now, whenever he returns to Long Island, he is met with a chorus of boos whenever he touches the puck.
Garth Snow came to the defense of Tavares, stating:
"I feel so bad that [Tavares] gets trashed for something that wasn't his fault," Snow said. "The Islanders could have traded him if they wanted to, but that decision was made. So it's not his fault the Islanders didn't trade him."
Tavares' exit from New York only served to highlight the lack of effective management during that time. He continues to be blamed for a situation that was clearly out of his control.
Had Tavares been traded instead of leaving through free agency, it is likely that the fans' reaction to his departure would have been different.
Do you think Tavares made the right choice by leaving the Islanders for the Maple Leafs in 2018?
As seen on Hockey Patrol - Former Islanders GM Stands Up for Tavares's Choice to Join the Toronto Maple Leafs
| POLL | ||
20 AOUT | 102 ANSWERS Former Islanders GM Stands Up for Tavares After he Chose Toronto Do you think Tavares made the right choice by leaving the Islanders for the Maple Leafs in 2018? | ||
| Yes | 77 | 75.5 % |
| No | 25 | 24.5 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
Latest 10 stories
