Man, John Tavares would look good in a Blue Jackets sweater, wouldn't he?
Alright. Now forget we even said anything.
With speculation starting to build around Jarmo Kekalainen's quest to add elite-level offense to his roster, some big names have been surfacing as potential possibilities. They are most often suggestions or ideas, mind you, and not "concrete" rumors, but it makes for intriguing offseason fodder as we prepare to launch the NHL's silly season.
He's coming into his final contract season, and there is belief in some circles that he's ready to move on from NYI. https://t.co/rKOcQLynaD
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) June 15, 2017
The future of Tavares with the Islanders has been a hot-stove item for what feels like years. That talk is only going to get heavier the longer he goes without a contract extension, which then brings the trade discussion into the mix.
Columbus would, in theory, have to yield a boatload of assets to swing such a deal (on top of that, with a team in its own division). If you're Kekalainen and you have started to build a strong organizational pipeline at multiple positions, such a deal could be crippling enough to not even consider it.
Allow veteran Islanders beat writer Arthur Staple to be your cold water:
If -- and that's a big if -- the #Isles decide to trade Tavares, there's about a 0.0 percent chance they deal with a team in the division.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeNewsday) June 15, 2017
