from Pat Hickey of th Montreal Gazette,

Lamoriello’s arrival last month revived hopes that the Islanders would be able to retain Tavares’ services. He is in line to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and he is expected to be the most sought-after player on the market.

While Tuesday’s developments are welcome news to the long suffering Islanders fans, they are a blow to fans in Montreal, Toronto, San Jose and other teams hoping to add the all-star centre.

While teams can’t make a formal pitch to free agents until June 24, you can bet that the Canadiens and other teams have been putting together packages that might be attractive to Tavares. Money is believed to be a secondary consideration — Tavares will attract offers in US$10-million range wherever he signs — with Tavares looking for a team that’s ready to win.

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