TAMPA, Fla. — Without stepping on the expected announcement Monday that the Islanders will return part-time to Nassau Coliseum next season, John Tavares indicated that the move is just fine with him.
There are no guarantees that he will be an Islander then, given that he is a potential free agent. The site of the team’s future games has been seen as a factor in helping him decide whether to stay. After playing for the Metropolitan Division in Sunday’s All-Star Game, he said he was not aware of the impending announcement. He also was not at all upset about it.