Money has never been the thing keeping Thomas Vanek from re-signing with the Islanders.
According to multiple sources, there has been a theoretical offer on the table for weeks, at seven years and around $49 million, but the pending unrestricted free agent is yet to sign. Vanek has been publicly adamant about his enjoyment of playing for the Islanders, and people close to the 30-year-old winger have said he was pleasantly surprised about how much he has liked Long Island, how well he has been treated by the organization and how much he liked the coaching staff.
He also enjoys playing on a line with John Tavares, a reigning Hart Trophy finalist.
“At the end of the day, whether he does or doesn’t sign won’t be because there was no way to come to a contractual agreement,” one source said. “It will just be a decision that is not money-oriented. It will be a decision based on the other things that go into a player’s decision.”
Vanek has not found a need to rush to a long-term deal before he can test the open market — and has rejected one offer from the Islanders, according to Newsday — which has led general manager Garth Snow to begin listening to trade offers in earnest. According to a team source, those offers have been coming in almost since the moment Vanek was obtained by the Islanders in a swap with the Sabres on Oct. 27 that sent fan favorite Matt Moulson to Buffalo along with a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick.
Snow clearly wants to keep Vanek, but part of what took some of the risk out of the deal was that there would be a trade market for the Team Austria captain – heating up this week before the Olympic roster freeze on Friday at 3 p.m., and then again just before the actual trade deadline on March 5. By having the ability to move Vanek and recoup some (if not all) of those draft picks left very little risk in making the deal, as Moulson is going to be an unrestricted free agent as well.
The team was rightfully under the impression they would have had little chance to sign Vanek this summer if he had not spent any time here, no matter the money they offered. Now, even if they do trade him, they have created at least a chance for Vanek to come back.
Forcing Snow’s hand is the fact his team has lost five in a row (0-4-1) heading into Tuesday night’s game in Washington against the Capitals, making their chances of reaching the playoffs for a second straight season unlikely. Before play Monday, the Islanders (21-28-8) were 10 points out of the last playoff position with six teams to leapfrog.
Logic lends itself to think Vanek might like to return to Minnesota, where he played his college hockey and where his wife is from. Then there is the allure of the free-agent market, and it would difficult for Vanek not to at least see what else is out there before making a decision.
“It’s not a battle over dollars,” a league source said. “It’s mostly [Vanek’s] desire to make that decision now, or make that decision later.”