The Toronto Maple Leafs should forget about Jonathan Tavares.

Earlier this week New York Islanders captain John Tavares made comments that left very little hope of him playing anywhere other than New York, specifically for the Islanders, during his National Hockey League career.

During a recent interview with Sportsnet's 590, Tavares doubled down on those comments, making it clear that fans in Toronto should not be counting on him to become a Leaf in the next two years.

“(Laughs) I would not count on that. I think I’ve always showed my commitment, my appreciation, and my desire to play on Long Island," said Tavares as per Nichols on Hockeysaid Tavares as per Nichols on Hockey. "I would love for that to continue for the long haul. I think you look at (how) some of the greatest players in the game have been able to spend their entire careers somewhere, and I hope I’m in that same position.

“Obviously being from Toronto, people are going to make those connections and it is what it is. It’s nothing I can control. I just want to go out there and be the best player, best person I can be for the Islanders day in and day out. I’m just going to focus on tomorrow and the upcoming season.”

Tavares has never given any indication he wants to play anywhere other than New York, and he is either a terrific actor or simply being genuine when he says he wants to be one of the greats that spent his entire career with a single organization.

[pub]