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Report: Islanders to sign John Tavares to six-year, $33 million deal

Curtis McElhinney, John Tavares

Anaheim Ducks goalie Curtis McElhinney, right, blocks a shot by New York Islanders center John Tavares during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

AP

After the reports surfaced earlier about the Islanders working on a long-term extension with franchise player John Tavares, it didn’t take long for things to get worked out. The Islanders have a press conference called for tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. at Nassau Coliseum featuring Tavares and Isles GM Garth Snow and they’ll be there to announce that Tavares has signed a contract extension with the team.

Reports out of Long Island say that Tavares’ deal is for six years at $5.5 million per season, good for $33 million over the term of the deal.

Tavares was the first pick overall in the 2009 NHL Draft and is heading into his third year in the NHL. Tavares has seen his numbers increase greatly over his first two seasons and now that he’s just a little bit older, he’s poised to become one of the league’s top players. Last season, Tavares had 29 goals and 38 assists for the Islanders and while he’ll turn 21 during training camp, he’s without a doubt the Isles top center.

The cap hit of $5.5 million might seem a bit large, but should Tavares numbers continue to rise as the years go along, it’ll end up looking like a steal soon enough. The Isles cap situation also isn’t in any sort of dire position. The Islanders now have Tavares, Michael Grabner, Kyle Okposo, and Matt Moulson locked up to deals that will keep all four of them together through until at least the 2013-2014 season when Moulson’s deal expires. Tavares’ deal has him committed to the Islanders through the 2017-2018 season while Okposo and Grabner are set through 2015-2016.

The hype surrounding the eventual rise of the Islanders has a basis in having great young players being locked up for a while and with those four in place, the Isles are going to be a team for opponents to worry about very soon.