Islanders News: I don't wanna be leader. You be leader.

Islanders linkage

• John Tavares will captain the Metro Division team at the All Star Game, now that Alex Ovechkin has decided to sit out due to injuries. Tavares' gain is all of our loses because Ovechkin is often the most entertaining part of the weekend. [LHH | Isles with quotes]
• And on that note:
  

  John Tavares was on my flight to Nashville and honoring every person at baggage claim asking for a photo. Class. ✅

  — Caity Kauffman (@caitykauffman) January 29, 2016

• The end of this season will be a big one for Garth Snow. [NY Post]
• Smart guy Arik Parnass looks at the Islanders unique drop pass power play entries. He finds them "interesting." I find them "infuriating." [NHL Special Teams]
  
• Which Islanders and Rangers would make for the best 3-on-3 teams? No, not the current guys. The old ones. [Daily News]
• Notes from the Sound Tigers as Ross Johnston inches back from injury. [Soundin' Off]
  
• A former Islanders staffer is helping to build hockey in India. [CBS NY]

Other stuff

• Yesterday's must read: John Scott talks about the NHL's efforts to railroad him out of the All Star Game, and his unique path to becoming the player he is today. You'll think of him in a different way after reading. [Players Tribune]
• Ovechkin and Jonathan Toews are skipping the game, which comes with a one regular season game suspension. [SBN]
  
• Dennis Wideman has been suspended indefinitely for freight-training that linesman. He'll have a hearing next week. [M&G | Making sense of the fiasco]
  
• The SBN Blog Council convenes to talk Bruins, Michel Therrien and Star Wars.
• Pensburgh turns its Unheralded eyes towards the Pacific Division.
  
• Linda Cohn is a huge hockey fan and an ESPN legend (and, unfortunately, a Rangers fan). [Puck Daddy]
• Reading about how they affect NHL player salaries might make income taxes interesting. [Tampa Bay.com]
• The Wild are getting all analytical. [Hockey Wilderness]
• Get to know your Swedish Hockey League teams, many of which have housed Islanders throughout the years. [EOTP]
  
• Been burgled? The St. Louis Blues are here to help. [StL GT]