It is believed co-owner Scott Malkin, GM Lou Lamoriello and coach Barry Trotz, who was hired Thursday after winning the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals, were representing the Islanders.
Lamoriello was hired as president of hockey operations on May 22, and he fired GM Garth Snow and coach Doug Weight on June 5.
"I have no disappointment, no discouragement," Lamoriello said Saturday of Tavares meeting with other teams. "I think that he's earned every right to make whatever choice he has. The most important thing is, we hope that the decision is to be an Islander.
"There's been a commitment from ownership, Scott Malkin, that he wanted this franchise to be the best in the National Hockey League, and he gave me the authority to go out and do whatever's necessary to do that. And the first decision certainly was to get a coach. And in my opinion, we got one of the best coaches in the National Hockey League. Now we have to do is certainly convince our player that this is the right situation for him. But he has to make that decision."
Tavares, second on the Islanders in goals (37) and points (84) this season, has scored at least 30 goals in three of the past four seasons. Center Mathew Barzal, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year, led New York with 85 points (22 goals, 63 assists), and forward Anders Lee was the Islanders' top goal-scorer with an NHL career-high 40.