This was the third option, the one few saw coming.
Saturday was supposed to be somewhat of a cut-and-dried decision day in the John Tavares free agent watch. Either news was supposed to break that the Islanders’ franchise player would stay with the team that drafted him first overall in 2009, or there was supposed to be an indication which of the five other reported suitors for his services Tavares had picked.
Instead, Saturday turned out to be another long day of waiting without a resolution.
The free agent market opens at noon on Sunday and Saturday was the last day for the Islanders to have the advantage of being able to offer Tavares an eight-year deal, as opposed to the seven-year maximum he can be offered by other teams.