Montreal Canadiens: The favourite to acquire John Tavares

The likelihood of John Tavares staying with the New York Islanders is falling, and the Montreal Canadiens may be a favourite to acquire him.

It’s incredible the power of a radio spot, especially when it involves the Montreal Canadiens. However, this one may have a lot of weight to it as it has to do with the potential top-prize of the summer John Tavares. Keep in mind, that’s as far as Free Agent Frenzy goes, winning the lottery and getting the chance to draft Rasmus Dahlin would be spectacular, but the opportunity to get a superstar for ‘free’ is rare in the history of the NHL.

The playoffs are a no-go for the New York Islanders again as they sit 14 points out of a playoff spot. Garth Snow, unfortunately, didn’t do enough to bolster the roster and push for the post-season and it may have cost the Islanders brownie points in the Tavares pool. Now the team has a disgruntled pending free agent who put a lot of stock in playing playoff hockey.

Things could still change between now and July 1st which could sway him to stay. Most importantly is the draft lottery where the Islanders have two cracks at falling into the top five of the draft thanks to the Calgary Flames. If they walk out of the lottery in a good position, it may convince Tavares that the future really is bright there. Not to mention players in Matthew Barzal who is putting up a lot of numbers in his rookie season.

However, that may not change things. Tavares may, in fact, test free agency by talking to other teams and talk to other teams to see what their plan is. And this is where the buzz ties in. Gord Miller appeared on TSN 690 to discuss the potential of free agency this season and had this to say regarding Tavares:

I think Montreal is the leading contender… If you’re going to leave, you’re going to want to go to a team that gives you a chance to be better… Who’s got the best chance to be better right away? If Carey Price is healthy, if Shea Weber is healthy, and he (Tavares) is their number one centre, they’ve got a good chance to be better.

It’s nice to see a coveted mind feed the optimism of the Montreal Canadiens fan base, isn’t it? Miller brings up a lot of good points though. No other team higher in the standings could afford him whereas the Habs have more cap space than they know what to do with. Additionally, there is an appeal to playing for an Original Six team even if it’s one that has arguably the most coverage.

We have to keep in mind that this is Miller’s opinion and that no one is hopefully not trying to radio him and make this a confirmation. However, there are many things here that make sense. Miller also mentioned that the New York Rangers could make sense as well, but that would be a controversial decision.

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Can it happen? Anything is possible nowadays in the NHL. Cross your fingers and collect your horseshoes because although it makes sense for Tavares to join the Montreal Canadiens, a lot of things will have to fall into place for it to happen.

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