With his franchise player set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow doesn't appear to be entertaining the thought of making a preemptive move.
"I’m not trading John Tavares," Snow said Thursday to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
The Islanders are in a precarious position, sitting a single point out of a playoff spot but with three teams to leap in order to secure one.
Related: 5 potential trade targets who could salvage Islanders' playoff hopes
Their chances would be greatly diminished if Snow concluded they can't risk allowing Tavares to leave as a free agent without gaining assets in return, but he's prepared to wait it out in the hopes that the captain will re-sign prior to July 1, or even after weighing his options on the open market.
The Islanders are set to build a new arena in Belmont and will split games between Barclays Center and Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the meantime, with Tavares remaining in their plans as the main attraction.
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