New York Islanders: John Tavares is gone but the Isles aren’t screwed
The biggest story in the hockey world has come to its sad end. John Tavares is no longer on the New York Islanders after deciding to take his talent up North to his hometown Maple Leafs.
In case you somehow missed the news, John Tavares is no longer the captain or even player for the New York Islanders. He announced on Sunday that he is choosing to go play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
However, despite losing their best player arguably ever, the New York Islanders are not screwed.
Tavares leaving is definitely emotional. Even taking all the nostalgic reasons out of it, his point per game production and ability to score goals will be tough to replace.
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Even though the Isles could have parted ways with Tavares a long time ago had he been honest with them about his intentions, it is tough to blame JT for leaving.
During his nine years with the Islanders, he has been victim to some of the worst ineptitude and management this sport has ever seen. He played in two different home arenas, both of which are not ideal, and watched the teams built around him never truly get better.
I do not blame John Tavares for leaving. He does not owe the Islanders anything. The Isles had their chance and window to build and win around the rare star player that he is. They blew it. They blew it each and every year.
That is all why the New York Islanders are not screwed by this. Although I cannot sit here and say I will be rooting for John Tavares, he now plays for a rival, I do not resent or dislike him. I understand working hard enough and being good enough to fulfill a lifelong dream.
Sure, he probably should have stayed. The team gave him the chance to fulfill his ultimate goal of playing in the NHL. The fans were nothing but loyal to him and the team during his run.
However, he did not stay, He is gone and gone for a while. The team must go on and they must figure out what to do.
They are not in any better or worse shape then they were before JT’s announcement though. They are not screwed and just need to pick up right where they left off in the rebuild.
Even if JT was staying the Isles still need to address the goalie and defensive positions. Tavares was not going to affect that fact.
Tavares had an amazing year but in 2017-2018 but the Islanders still missed the playoffs. Despite how good his line was, he did not even lead the team in scoring. That honor goes to Calder winner Mathew Barzal.
Tavares was really great at offense but his game is one-dimensional. He lacked an ability to play great defense and the Isles penalty kill was awful, something they have already addressed this offseason.
In no way am I arguing that Tavares is not overall an asset to a team, he is. Great community guy, good to the media, nice to the fans. It’s just that the Isles were not going to win much with him anyway.
Regardless of where Tavares chose to go, the Isles still needed to do a lot of what they are doing and already did.
They needed to change their head coach. They brought in Barry Trotz. The Isles needed to fix the garbage mismanagement. They fired Garth Snow and brought in Lou Lamoriello.
So, if the Isles had to rebuild and make all these sweeping changes anyway, why does it Matter if John Tavares is here or not.
The team failed for years to build around him anyway. Sure maybe the team will be less exciting to watch on offense now but they still had raging gaps in their game.
Tavares being gone does not really change anything in terms of immediate results for the Isles. They are well off anyway.
Now, instead of paying Tavares to be good for three to four years just to be part of a rebuild and get ready to move to Belmont and contend, they can use this time to see how they are going to replace him. They can do so by finding someone cheaper and younger down the road.
This also gives the Isles a fresh outlook. They no longer have to wonder what could have been with having a generational talent in Tavares be wasted. All the guys they have now, like Barzal, Anders Lee, and Josh Bailey all get to prove themselves as top guys now.
The Isles do not have to worry about wasting Tavares’ talent anymore. Rather incentivize these guys to prove their talents without him.
Guys like Josh Ho-Sang, remember him? get to prove themselves now. It’ll be a year of a lot of experimentation and a lot of changing up lines to see what clicks.
That is a good thing. They were doing that with Tavares anyway.
Now, the Islanders drafted Oliver Wahlstrom. He already lit it up in the Isles minicamp. “Ollie” might not be the next John Tavares but he can be the next offensive star for this team. He is not too out of the NHL picture.
John Tavares leaving the Islanders does a lot of things. It exposes the dysfunction of the ownership that has been hurting the team. It also leaves them without a well-established star.
However, him leaving does not screw the team. They still have Lou, Trotz, the new arena in the next few years, a loyal fan base that cares about the front of the sweater more than the back, and some young players coming up through the ranks.
The New York Islanders need a new captain. But now, they have a lot of money to spend, a lot of talent within trying to prove themselves as the next guy and still made a lot of the changes they need to.
Yes, of course, Tavares leaving stings, However, a few years down the road, now that the Isles know his and their fate, it might not sting as much.
Next: 3 Reasons Craig Anderson would be a good fit for Isles
John Tavares leaving the Islanders hurts because he has been the guy in darkest days. It doe not however hurt because it screws the Isles for years to come. It does not.