It was an odd Sunday for Thomas Hickey. He was an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his 10-year pro career and, a few hours before the clock struck noon, he had made his choice among a handful of teams that had expressed interest: He signed back up with the Islanders for four years at $2.5 million per.



A few hours later, Hickey watched along with the rest of the hockey world as John Tavares left town for the Leafs.



“It’s tough — tough for our fan base, a group of really proud people and I understand their feelings,” Hickey told The Athletic on Tuesday. “I also understand what John did and I would never say anything about his decision. It’s definitely a bit of an eerie feeling but we’re going to be OK.”



Matt Martin’s last week or so has been odd as well. Entrenched back on Long Island, where he lives in the offseason despite having signed with the Leafs two years ago, Martin hosted his eponymous...