Could John Tavares Be A Boston Bruin?
The hottest free agent of the summer ,John Tavares, met with the Boston Bruins yesterday to discuss the potential of playing there. Tavares has a narrrow list of teams that he met with and that he will choose between. That short list consists of the Islanders, Sharks, Bruins, Stars, Lightning and Maple Leafs. All of these teams can make strong cases for Tavares but why might he sign with the B’s?
The Boston Bruins have the third best odds to win the Stanley Cup next year and they have a very bright future. The Bruins are trying to lock up Tavares’ prime years and he’d be joining players that are also in their prime like Bergeron, Marchand, Pastrnak, Krejci, Krug and Rask. Not only will Tavares play with those in their prime but he’d be locked in to grow and play with the next generation of Bruins studs. Guys like McAvoy, Debrusk, Donato, Senyshyn and many more.
It’s obvious to see how Tavares would help the Bruins, he already has chemistry with Bergeron having played with him on team Canada over the years and playing in All-Star games with him and Marchand. Tavares is a stud with his career points being at 621 in his 669 career games. I’m sure Tavares would also like to join a team with a real goaltender unlike the Isles in the past 5 years. Tavares has also acted as a leader during his time in the league and with the Bruins having young talent he would certainly be a great addition for them as well.
The Bruins would be able to fit Tavares cap hit in this season (likely around 11 million) without having to ship off any pieces but they would need to move out salary in the following seasons meaning either Krejci or Backes would be shipped off. The Bruins could search for trade partners throughout the season with those guys so it wouldn’t be much of an issue. Even if the Bruins lost one of those guys they would still be an annual contender and Tavares is looking for just that. You’d figure Sweeney is all in on Tavares after missing out on Kovalchuk. Yesterday the Bruins had their meeting with Tavares which clocked in at just under two hours. The Bruins were represented by Don Sweeney, Bruce Cassidy and Cam Neely. Being on a list of only six teams the Bruins have a very realistic chance of signing Tavares.
The Free Agency period is set to begin on July 1st and hopefully Tavares makes his decision soon after. Can’t wait to see him in black and gold.
Written by Tyler Smith (@TylerSmith4386)