The John Tavares Breakout Is Lifting Everyone

Watching JT control play is astonishing. This kid is lights out the best center in the league. Doubt what Im saying …… watch in wonder as his career progresses.

right now, he would be receiving the recognition that Malkin is currently adorning. JT has been doing more with less for longer this year, while having less experience. I am not saying that JT is better than Malkin as a player, since Malkin has had 100 point seasons, just that a little credit for his recent tear and extra gear is never a bad thing.

A player like Tavares, though seemingly shy, rises and shines in the spotlight. This has been clear since his early days in junior as an underage player. He will put up more points and play better when the pressure is on and the attention is on him. Though he receives pretty much all the attention on the Island, besides a goaltender’s knees who will not be named, he rarely receives credit nationally.

We are lucky enough to see him transform every game and next season there is no reason not to believe he will be among the league leaders. Loving right now and the future of JT.

especially when you start looking at some of his splits. Of course this outlines the downfall of the Islanders-that when he’s not going well they don’t have the depth/secondary scoring to win without him. It’s no surprise that the Islanders’ worst month (November) was JT’s as well, when he went just 1-4-5 in 13 games.

Even more striking are the splits in wins and losses:

18 Ws: 11-21-32 1.8PPG
27 Ls: 6-8-14 0.5PPG

Obviously his number will be better in wins, but I didn’t think it would be quite so stark. The scary thought is that if we can ever reliably find points from another line, it might open even more ice for him.

One time in his rookie year the opposing team Had 3 more shots on goal while JT was on the ice vs when he wasn’t on the ice. Also, he likes red gatorade, when we all know that any true 25 under 25 player likes light purple gatorade.

and belief to everyone players & fans alike that he is going to contribute to the team in a number of ways whether it be creating an opportunity for himself or a team mate, putting the puck in the net or dazzling with a piece of skill that makes everybody go WOW. He has also got a determination that if the opposition try to out muscle him or try to dominate him physically he’s gonna get up & keep going. We’re not a one man team & there’s other guys on the ice contributing to the wins we get but in my opinion he is the catalyst!!!!!

I remember last year when the conversation revolved around how to describe Tavares. He wasn’t a sniper, nor a playmaker, he was just a really good passer with the ability to score. Now, I think we can describe him just fine. He is a star. JT is hard to knock off the puck, persistent as any I have seen, and has a wicked pass ability that always astounds with his no look passes. This is the Tavares we hoped we develop when he was drafted, and now he is here.

I like Ghalbart comparison to Malkin, he is one of the players I feel JT compares too regarding overall hockey skill/attributes. No, I’m not saying he is as good as Malkin (YET) but I see the correlation in talents.
Thanks for the post to help pass the snowy day here in CT :).

Moulson and PA are good players and each bring something different to the table, but to say they they can do it without JT, i just dont agree with it. Moulson has an undeniable talent to bury pucks and i will never take that away from him. I consider him almost a Ryan Smyth light. Parenteau is a decent playmaker and PP specialist. If you put them with any other center on the Islanders you can automatically cut their numbers almost in half. If Moulson and PA had another top line center in the NHL to play with then yes i think they can put up similar numbers. Tavares can play with anyone and make them better (ie: Okposo). Okposo has more than doubled his overall ppg since being put on that line. If you take Moulson off that line and play Bailey JT and Okposo i strongly feel you will get similar production, probably boosting JT’s goal output because he now becomes more of a shooter playing with Bailey.
I still strongly stand by my argument that if JT had a true star to play with we’d see him reach another level (almost crosby like). We’ve seen evidence of this with a 20 year old Tavares leading Canadian teams in scoring playing with the best players in the world. And its clear that Tavares is on another planet compared to where he was when he played on that team. While i dont disagree, i guess i didnt like the sound of " Imagine how many points Moulson would have if he had a true NHL first-line center." Moulson can bury the puck and he goes where he needs to to get it. Technically, we are seeing what moulson can do, but without JT giving him that puck, Moulson is much less effective.(which does prove your statement) Its no surprise that Moulson and Parenteau’s stats have made a jump since we’ve been seeing another level from Tavares(which you’ve stated). While Moulson and PA have played well, nobody is talking about their sudden change of play and how much better they are playing from last year and this new level the both of them have reached. They are a product of Tavares. JT is the main cog to the ship. Take him out and the ship is going down. Take out Parenteau and we’ve sprung a leak.
In a nutshell, Moulson and PA ARE good players, but i still feel JT and the team can benefit tremendously from a star. Who wouldnt right? I’d say we have 2/3rds of a top flight NHL 1st line. One more player puts it at an elite status.

its almost stating the obvious, but the way JT plays the game its hard to think that putting someone more dominant on his other wing wouldnt produce tremendous results. By no means am i saying we should break up the top line. I was going to bring up the Crosby thing as well, but didtn want to really drag out the post. I also agree that the Isles are in need of more secondary scoring than tinkering w/ the top line.
My main point was taking guys away from Tavares will cause drops in production for them and putting any player with Tavares will cause their production to rise. Of course, Mouls, PA and Okposo all compliment him well. It’s really more of just stating the obvious, but trying to make my point clear that Tavares is running the show. Moulson and PA can only do so much away from Tavares.

Nice mid-season feel good here Dom. I think we all have the sence that we are seeing greatness emerge, and it’s very cool being a part of it.
We are also starting to see JT pull away from his draft class. I think Duchene is a helluva hockey player, but by this time next year we won’t be hearing that debate anymore.
I like your point about, “Imagine how many points Moulson would have if he had a true NHL first-line center.” Well, if timed out correctly we may never have found that out. Oh the joy of $1 scratchers… because if Snow went for (and was able to land) a guy like tanguay there would not have been a Moulson, and maybe JT is at his 10,000 hours, but he’s not really as happy… (sorry, another Gladwell reference). The same thing goes for PAP. He is showing the NHL that he can produce as a stand alone entity, but maybe if he doesn’t work his way onto the top line last year (Okposo isn’t injured) his confidence level isn’t through the roof.
Now look what’s going on with Kyle. He is truly becoming the player we all pr*j*ct*d him to be.
Can we get Bailey and Nino some time with JT in the Dominican League this summer?
JT, you are AWESOME! When you visit other cities children should line up to kiss your Stanley Cup ring… SO GO GETCHOO ONE!!!

A couple comments…

1) I appreciate the restrained enthusiasm, but I think JT is in the process of making the move from “very good” to “elite” right now. Even the Flyers announcers acknowleged this the other night, calling him something to the effect of the most dominant player in the league at the moment. And we’ve seen this over the course of this season. Even during losing streaks, there have been games where he’s been the most dominant player on the ice against some of the most talent-laden teams in the league. Dominant not in the sense of being flashy, but in the sense of puck possession and creating legitimate scoring opportunities almost every time he steps foot on the ice. I still think there are areas of his game that need work, including finishing, but what we hoped we were getting from the 2009 draft has begun to arrive.

2) I still fall in the “If He Had a True First-Line Mate…” camp. I really like Moulson, Paranteau, and Okposo. I think the chemistry between Moulson and JT is a rare and special thing. And I think playing with these guys has been essential to his development, in part because it’s forced him into the role of playmaker, which makes him that much more well-rounded and threatening offensively. But I think the next evolution in his game is getting him a linemate – and perhaps this happens with Strome arriving and transitioning to wing or Nino eventually becoming a first-liner – so that JT has the space and the passes (coming to him, not just from him) that allow him to display the natural scoring talent that made him the all-time scoring leader in the OHL. I think this next step is crucial to us seeing JT in all his glory, and to the Isles becoming a true Stanley Cup contender.

Don’t take this team lightly, we see what happens when teams do that to us. A lot of times the kids take a step forward then take two back. This like the Flyer win, has to be a change… for the better. A good sign if you will. No more same old same old. They must continue to change things. Tonight.