from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

...there will be serious bidders, perhaps as close by as the Rangers and Devils, both of whom have cap space. Of the two, the resurgent Devils might be the most appealing to Tavares, what with MVP candidate Taylor Hall (39 goals, 93 points) in his prime and under contract for two more seasons. Step No. 2 for Devils GM Ray Shero, if able to get Tavares signed, would be to figure how quickly he could add five or more years to Hall’s pact — at a price equal to Tavares.

The Rangers don’t have a winger of Hall’s ilk to partner with him. There isn’t a more exciting place to play than Madison Square Garden when the Rangers are cooking, but it could be a while before that happens and Tavares has waited a long time for something good to happen — the very thing that could keep him from extending his tour with the Fish Sticks.

Elsewhere, the Blues want to make a splash and have the dollars to do it, and with young flashy wingers Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko in residence. With Tavares slotted between the two, it’s a line that could generate 200 or more points per season (since you asked, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak rolled up 228 points last season). It’s probably his best fit.

In San Jose, the Sharks are still deciding whether to bring Jumbo Joe Thornton (39 on July 2) back for another tour. They recently rolled out crazy money (seven years/$49 million) for Evander Kane and the ex-Jet/ex-Sabre likely would be Tavares’s left winger much of the time. That in itself probably will keep Tavares away.

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