NY Islanders faithful take joy in John Tavares and Maple Leafs' playoff misfortunes

Seven years came and went for John Tavares in Toronto, but for New York Islanders fans, while the wounds have mostly healed, the schadenfreude is still sweet. On Sunday night, the Maple Leafs were blown out 6-1 on home ice by the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, in an outcome that has become as predictable as it is enjoyable for hockey fans outside of Toronto.

Every spring, as the Leafs stumble in yet another playoff disappointment, Isles fans can’t help but smirk. Tavares left Long Island in 2018 with dreams of hoisting the Cup in his hometown and ending the 1967 championship drought. Instead, he’s been stuck in a cycle of early exits, coaching changes, and pressure from a demanding and understandably frustrated fan base. Meanwhile, the Islanders can say that they went further in the postseason (twice) than Tavares and the Leafs did during his seven-year contract, which altered the trajectory of not one but two franchises.

Social media lights up every time Toronto bows out. Memes, throwbacks to "the pajamas," and reminders of that infamous July 1st tweet. "Isles Twitter" is undefeated when the Leafs lose. It’s not just pettiness, it's also proof that sometimes loyalty and team chemistry matter more than market size or media hype. It’s the kind of script Isles fans couldn’t have written better themselves. Seven years ago, they expected to be haunted by images of their homegrown captain lifting the Stanley Cup after leaving Long Island. Instead, he's no better or worse off than the Isles.

"When the Maple Leafs signed John Tavares after he walked out on the Islanders, Toronto figured he was the missing piece for The Cup. Post-season after post-season, the Pyjama (sic) Boy came up rather short, wouldn't you say. For the Isles, his exit was addition by subtraction," posted Stan Fischler on X after the Leafs were eliminated.

Tavares is still a great player - a Hall of Famer, but in the eyes of Isles fans, his departure proved to be a turning point—not the end of an era—but the start of something different, and maybe even better. And every year Toronto falls short, it feels like poetic justice. We’re not bitter (ok, perhaps a little). We’re just enjoying the view from a scolded fanbase that was told they weren't worthy of keeping a player of Tavares' stature and the franchise that was holding him back.

As Isles statistician Eric Hornick pointed out, the Islanders, actually won more playoff series in Toronto (the bubble in 2020) than the Leafs did throughout Tavares' first seven-years. In fact, the Leafs never clinched a playoff series at home in that time, winning only two first-round series and never advancing past the second round. Ain't that a shame.