Now what?



It went past midnight on Saturday but John Tavares informed the Islanders on Sunday morning that he was not returning to the team, as big a gut punch as this organization has had in a while. With all the positive moves in the last five weeks — hiring Lou Lamoriello, luring Barry Trotz away from the Stanley Cup-winning Capitals — this was an enormous setback. Sources indicate the Isles made a massive eight-year offer on Saturday afternoon, but Tavares ultimately decided not to base his decision on money alone.



People will want to assign blame. There’s plenty to go around, beginning with principal owner Scott Malkin and co-owner Jon Ledecky, who made it plain during the 2016-17 season that they were fully committed to bringing Tavares back no matter the cost and no matter the scenario.



They kept Garth Snow and hired Doug Weight as coach in part due to Tavares’ relationships with both men. The owners acquiesced to...