It has been so long since John Tavares spurned the Islanders for the Maple Leafs that No. 91’s next contract cycle is just about ready to start, as he becomes eligible for an extension with the Maple Leafs on July 1.
But because old wounds fester, Islanders fans kept on booing Tavares on Thursday when the Maple Leafs visited Long Island for the last time this season, just like they did after he scored his 1,000th point at UBS Arena in December and just like they did every other time Tavares has played back on the Island.
They are probably not going to stop booing anytime soon, because the memory of Tavares asking not to be traded before leaving the team that drafted him in the lurch still makes the blood boil for Islanders fans, even if the former captain’s teammates are fine letting bygones be bygones.
“The fans are gonna do what they want,” Brock Nelson said before the Islanders beat the Maple Leafs, 5-4, in overtime at UBS Arena. “Johnny gave a lot to the organization and fan base. Spent a lot of time here and made a lot of friends. I think he enjoyed his time and I think everyone here that knows him enjoyed having him here and he was a great leader for us. You’re not gonna get unanimous approval no matter where you go, I would say.”
The booing in December became a national story, in part because it came after Tavares hit a milestone and in part because TNT’s Paul Bissonnette ripped Islanders fans on X, formerly Twitter, calling it a “clown show.”
That got MSG’s Butch Goring involved, escalating into a war of words that is still ongoing.
“I saw a bit of it. It’s just passionate Islanders fans,” Mathew Barzal said, cracking a smile. “That’s really it, I really don’t know what else to say. I think it’s just a thing and our fans are passionate and emotional.
“Clearly they don’t forget things too quickly.”
Casey Cizikas was declared week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered when blocking Nikita Zadorov’s shot early in Tuesday’s loss to Vancouver.
Coach Lane Lambert said after the game that it will be decided on Friday whether any of the injured players — Cizikas, Semyon Varlamov, Ryan Pulock and Robert Bortuzzo — will travel to Nashville with the team for Saturday’s game.