What Kind of Player is John Tavares?

If Ty isn’t quite ready to be an NHL defender, maybe he can do a Buff-Daddy and play JT’s LW at least for a few years. Then maybe he can become a legit defender once Garth and whoever is coach groom someone else. I have added his name. Had to delete the one other vote that was there, but since that apparently was for Kyle as RW and we are discussing LW in fact. Sorry.

If Calgary starts their rebuild this spring, why not?

Who is the one beating the Hawerchuk comparison all the time? I can’t remember, but that’s a similarity that strikes me most. I obviously didn’t see Espo live, but watching Summit Series and other highlights makes me think JT has those hands around the net but is a brilliant passer more like Hawerchuk.

Anyway, I’m of two minds on JT’s wing: Moulson obviously converts there, but he’s a solid all-around guy who will fit (if not produce as much) on any line. Meanwhile, PAP is even better than I think most of us realize, and his hands might be helping open things up for JT. And then add KO and you have a corner man and general tasmanian devil who would free things up for both of them.

I love Handzus — LOVE him — but I don’t know how much he’ll have left and whether it fits on the wing? I know him as a center, not as a winger. But the man knows how to play hockey at both ends of the rink.

Is it JT Franz RSH or JT Bailey Franz? Does Franz get third line minutes behind Bailey? Also, what wing Will Nino play next year? And in what league??

So many unknowns…as for this year, when KO comes back, who will be JT’s RW?

Because I like Matt Martin on that line. Consummate digger, better passer than most people realize, and protection for JT and MM. And can provide screens in front and tips when JT isn’t in front. I prefer KO with Bailey and Comeau. KO will keep Comeau’s (provided he is here next year) head in the game. Or take it off as needed.

Alex Tanguay. He won’t break our bank and will boost JT’s production by 10 goals.

Tavares is a sick passer – seriously, watch the pucks that DON’T ever wind up on net because the guy getting the pass doesn’t know he’s open until JT’s feed hits him on the tape. He’s stupid good. Guys are beginning to get it, I think. Moulson has great hands in tight and he converts those sorts of passes as well as getting rebounds on net while being defended – a rare talent. (Remember the goal Matty scored from Parenteau against Calgary? That was an awesome JT pass that PA whiffed on, but he recovered enough so slip it across the slot, and Moulson just tapped it home.)

I don’t see Tavares as an Esposito clone at all. Moulson is more of an Espo Lite. Adding KO to this mix gives you a guy who can muck about the halfboards, win pucks, and wire off-wing wristers. The only downside is, I’m not sure you’ll see more than a half-dozen goals from those guys above the circles – combined. None of them can really boom it. But you can live with that if it opens up room for the D to take point shots uncontested, or jump into the high slot while everyone else is packed down low trying to handle the forwards.

More than anything JT simply needs to be in the offensive zone – and he’ll be fine. Whether he’s a scorer primarily or has the ability to find open guys, as well, is not really in the focus for me. I do think that he’s a pretty good passer, too, but the key with him really is that they are in possession down low and stuff is happening around the net.
On the other hand, he’s obviously quite ineffective without the puck and also would have room to improve in certain situations with the puck, for example when it comes to driving the puck up the ice or gaining the zone. Apparently, the more line mates he has who can do that kind of work the better for him.

So, it’s got to be complete players around him more than simply a specific player, such as a great passer or a big body making room for him or a speed guy, etc. That obviously starts with the D who’d help JT a lot with proper breakouts and stuff. It might sound stupid because it goes for pretty much everyone, but the best thing for JT is definitely if you put the best and most complete players around him.

A lot obviously depends on how JT individually will improve all-around, but the above however is why I don’t see a guy like Matt Martin long-term on his line for example. Or I certainly struggle to see Nino doing well with him in at least the next couple of seasons. And the way I see it at this point, I don’t believe JT will ever build any particular chemistry with anyone. I mean he sure one day will work best with a particular team mate and they’ll help each other indeed (and many will go crazy about that “superb chemistry”), but not to the extent that production would decrease considerably if they were split up.
As for now, not sure they’ll start off with Moulson-JT-Okposo when KO will be back, but I guess will definitely go back to that line later in the season and I’d say that would improve JT’s production indeed. In the more distant future I think Bailey-JT-KO would be best for JT, but to go with that line obviously only makes sense if you have enough depth.

Anybody old enough to rememebr the table top Bobby Orr hockey game they know it was designed with Phil Esposito in mind. The center only went from the face-off dot at center ice to the slot. THat was Phil. If his linemates saw him in his own end they would say, “Phil, are you lost?”
I was never a big Phil Esposito fan… I liked him better as an off ice personality. He was a Mickey/Whitey kinda guy without the WINNING. Big tub of goo.
I will say this for Phil… much like Mark Parrish, man did he take a beating in ranger Islander games. Langevin and Lane would kill him nightly… I’m sure if you look closely on Phil’s back the names Langevin and Lane are embossed next to their stick manufacturers. He didn’t shy from contact… but rather than back check his skate form the slot to the center ice line was spent whining to the ref…. or maybe they were comparing pasta recipies.
I think JT will be more of a Ryan Smyth with better hands. JT COMPETES… he competes in the corners, he competes in the slot and he competes in his own end. He needs to improve in his own end, but he shows up.
It’s an honor to be compared to a guy who has accomplished as much as Espo… but he definitley has the potential to be a better player than Phil… maybe not the same off-ice personality though.

Think about:
JT-Great passer, great shooter, makes his money scoring around the net and passing from what seems anywhere in the o-zone. I think we saw yesterday and a little in colorado what we could expect JT to do in the future: more net crashing, more skating around and working defenders, more set-up passes, etc. Or a more complete JT, as in the JT we all saw and loved in the ohl, but hasn’t fully brought his complete game here yet. Needs a great passer to help him score more, and it’s as clear as day that moulson and parenteau BOTH aren’t those guys. Moulson’s tools can be very effective on another line, it’s just that he doesn’t bring enough to help JT to warrant him being a proper linemate for him. And PAP is a 3rd line PP specialist.
Bailey=Highlight reel passer(from time to time), very smart, very defensively responsible, and a good goal scorer. Perfect linemate for JT in everyway except from being gigantic(220lbs+), but that’s perfectly fine. Bailey will be able to feed JT the puck as much as need be, and JT is a world class finisher, so bailey can rack up points this way. Add KO to bailey’s line, and now JB has 2 30goal+ threats to feed, thus using his skillset to the fullest.
Okposo=He is similar to bailey, but less of a passer/playmaker and more of a goalscorer, but still a solid passer(just not a playmaker). Okposo is the powerforward JT needs to create more space for him, and KO does that in more ways then one. Obviously he faced some bad luck last year(also from playing a heavy shutdown role + producer for this team last year), but by all accounts I predict him to be a 25goal+ scorer for most of his career. Throw him on a JT/Bailey line, and I think he will be a multi-season 30goal+ scorer. Add that to KO’s strength + defensive abilities, and KO is an excellent linemate for JT.

Optimally, a Bailey-JT-Okposo lineup should net 90goals+/yr(possibly even 100goals+) imo. Not only is this line greatly responsible defensively, but it is also a top-tier scoring line. Not to mention, with Bailey topping out at 200-205lbs and KO at ~210lbs, this line has more then enough size imo to throw out solid checks and protect JT. This could cause some depth problems, but with nielsen being the main “2nd”/shutdown line center, and nino in the ranks(hossa-like powerforward that will play at a big 215-225lbs), A shutdown line of Nielsen/Nino+ Ullstrom/Grabner/Cizikas/Colliton/Your-man-here should be a more then good enough shutdown line to face the oppositions best. You can dream of whatever 3rd line you want, but imo, a 3rd-line scoring line of schremp/grabner+PAP/good shooter-solid-hands guys here should be fine(even if undersized) should be more then good enough.

He is a HOCKEY player.

see I’m smart

i think we share this day if i remember correctly, so happy birthday!

Whenever I look at this post title, I keep thinking to myself, “How do you solve a problem like Tavares?”♫

I had thought of Landeskog as a Gillies, but, even though he is not a center, he strikes me as another Trottier. one of the things that made Trots great was that he would always make himself tough to play against. The Oilers dreaded playing against him because of how tough he was on them physically. The other was that he was a great leader on the ice and in the room. Both of those qualities describe Landeskog in spades. It would be really awesome if Garth could work the trade up the way I have described and get both of these guys, Larsson and Landeskog. That would establish this team as a powerhouse for the next decade or more. If I had to choose, I just don’t know.

Gretzky had 106 G(301 points)
Mario 91 G
Jagr 59G

so he is closest to Jagr type of numbers