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New York Islanders John Tavares Staying or Going Confidence Meter

UNIONDALE, NY - MAY 26: New York Islanders Captain Doug Weight and Islander forward John Tavares poses for a photo after a press conference to announce Weight's retirement on May 26, 2011 at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NY - MAY 26: New York Islanders Captain Doug Weight and Islander forward John Tavares poses for a photo after a press conference to announce Weight's retirement on May 26, 2011 at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – JUNE 26: John Tavares poses for a portrait after being picked number one overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islander at the Bell Centre on June 26, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

David Lazar

I am not confident John Tavares will re-sign, nor am I confident he will leave. To be completely honest, I have no idea which uniform Tavares will be in next season.

What I do know is John Tavares is loyal, he loves Islanders fans, and would prefer to not play in a market with a large media presence. He has a house in Jersey City and cares about this fanbase. He won’t be leaving the Islanders for no reason.

Lou Lamoriello is the new General Manager and President of Hockey Operations, and he cares about turning the Islanders into a winner. John Tavares must not be thrilled that his good friends Garth Snow and especially Doug Weight were fired, but he did say he was fine with the decision. If John Tavares wants to win, he needs to realize what is best for his team.

All factors considered, John Tavares will most likely explore the open market and really think hard about his decision. He will probably meet with other teams in the five-day window before July 1st.  If one of them makes a great pitch, Tavares may just take the offer and leave.

However, I think Tavares will know where he is meant to be and recognize that the Islanders have a very bright future. I think there is a 65% chance Tavares stays and a 35% chance he leaves.

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