Tavares and the excuses

[Mr Misunderstood]

There was a rush last night where he received the puck on the near side moving right to left (relative to the camera angle) entered the Rangers' zone and took a slap shot above the circles with basically no angle. He roofed the puck WAY over Lundqvist's head.

I'll ask you this, have you ever seen John Tavares score a goal like that? Wouldn't the smarter thing, the type of thing you would expect JT to do, to hold on to the puck in the zone and await your linemates to start cycling? He's fishing for a goal and is frustrated he hasn't gotten a single point in 5 games. Whether it is a slump, bad ice, bad chemistry, he's not right at the moment but that's okay, I have faith he'll turn it around. Hopefully the shootout goal gets him started.

 

[mm11]

There was a rush last night where he received the puck on the near side moving right to left (relative to the camera angle) entered the Rangers' zone and took a slap shot above the circles with basically no angle. He roofed the puck WAY over Lundqvist's head.

I'll ask you this, have you ever seen John Tavares score a goal like that? Wouldn't the smarter thing, the type of thing you would expect JT to do, to hold on to the puck in the zone and await your linemates to start cycling? He's fishing for a goal and is frustrated he hasn't gotten a single point in 5 games. Whether it is a slump, bad ice, bad chemistry, he's not right at the moment but that's okay, I have faith he'll turn it around. Hopefully the shootout goal gets him started.

It's crazy how JT is getting away from what makes him dominate sometimes.

what I would say to him:


Get between the circles and grind it out buddy. Cycle and use your edges like we have seen. Not many can stop you then. Those are your strenghts. Lurk for loose pucks with your sweet hands and pounce on rebounds putting pucks up top. Get back to it and it should start at practice today. The Isles will be so much better for it. Trust your teammates, they are pretty good. Let the young guys do the lugging of the puck, get back to your strenghts.

anyway, take this with the a grain of salt JT as this 46 year old dude living in Florida has not skated in over 20 years buddy. wish you luck

 

[GrandmaSlices51631]

You aren't paying attention to these teams

Draisatl has been playing wing and is now potentially moving to center but is injured, RNH vs Barkov? NO ONE takes RNH in that one if you watch Barkov, who is a nearly PPG player the past two years.

Pavelski has been playing wing.

You certainly aren't watching Panther games if you think Getzlaf-Kesler-whatever (Kesler out of action right now indefinitely); you are way off on Anaheim vs JT, Barkov and Trocheck

Carter is now out indefinitely too.

In Pittsburgh they basically have NO 3rd line center to talk of with Bonino now gone. Greg McKegg and Carter Rowney??? Seriously?

The only one is Toronto with Bozak as 3rd C . . . that's the one to argue. All 3 centers are legit.

You can't assume 2 top centers are better than three top centers are.

I think your putting way too much stock in the 3rd line. World Class players like Crosby and Getzlaf supersede the overachieving and atypical player like Trocheck.

I don’t want to hijack this thread, but the bottom line is the Panthers are a mediocre team at best, with Tavares or without him.

 

[periferal]

If he has some sort of bad sub 60 point season I think it'll hurt him for sure on his contract

If JT resigns with the Isles I'll bet they get him for less than what he would have gotten on the open market.

If JT stays healthy all year and hits UFA healthy, I don't care if he has 40 points - He's getting at least 10M. I'll bet anyone anywhere of that fact.

 

[periferal]

I predict that within 10 games John Tavares' on-ice performance won't even touch the top-20 on anyone's list of Isles concerns.

Amen to that. In fact no matter what happens the rest of the season my concern list will NOT contain JT's play, and at the top of the list are:

1. Getting Belmont locked in
2. Resigning JT
3. Getting rid of snow by any means neccessary

After that would be...

4. Getting JT not just a talented linemate, but one he truly gels with
5. Ho-Sang to mature on the ice and learn to stop turning the puck over, stay on the ice too long, use his linemates correctly, etc.
6. Add another top-4 D-man who has some offense to his game.
7. Weight to prove he can coach and not just be a motivational speaker.
8. Ladd to show a pulse
9. Nelson to keep his

And there you go.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

4. Getting JT not just a talented linemate, but one he truly gels with

I'm on board with all the other things you want. Do you think that Eberle is not talented or not talented enough? Predicting "gelling" has to be darn near impossible. JT and Eberle had shown chemistry in the past, so using what information we had in regards to the past, he should have been the best candidate to gel. Jury is still out, and I'll wait to at least November to reserve judgment.

 

[ekill08x]

Ladd will show a pulse....in January like every year. My god does this guy always start so slow. Hopefully brock doesnt lose his around the some time.

 

[periferal]

I'm on board with all the other things you want. Do you think that Eberle is not talented or not talented enough? Predicting "gelling" has to be darn near impossible. JT and Eberle had shown chemistry in the past, so using what information we had in regards to the past, he should have been the best candidate to gel. Jury is still out, and I'll wait to at least November to reserve judgment.

Fine. Scratch that from my list and get me the rest.

 

[A Pointed Stick]

In fairness to Eberle and Lee I am seeing superhero Tavares destroying plays and scrambling coverage all on his own, again, like he always does when he gets tunnel vision. It is like a helicopter parent who swoops in on his neglected kid when he suddenly sees him wrecking the house and tries to do 5 months of educating the kid in one sit down session and losing it.

Eberle and Lee experiencing their own down turn in decision making is making it worse. Our first unit should probably be broken up so they can get back to focusing on basic core play which is what happens when you get two new linemates.

 

[Joedoggy]

I was always intrigued by the islanders and the team Garth Snow built thru the draft, he actually did a very good job. What occurred a season ago losing unsigned players that should have been signed (2 for sure) was a good indication of not recognizing where the org. was and really how close to a lengthy playoff run they were, the Pens/Caps/Tampa series were all eye openers.

Its actually quite a shame considering, I would be willing to bet if 2 of the three were still wearing NYI colours a winner would have been born. When a team loses its soul its just a team.

 

[Incarnadine Sea]

I've always felt that the root cause of his problems has been trying TOO hard. I believe an earlier poster or two described him as streaky which is very accurate. But the effort is always there. He may, in fact, benefit from a change of scenery but no one should question his desire to help the Islanders succeed.

 

[YearlyLottery]

You can tell by the way he handled the puck on the Lee goal and by his celebration on the empty netter he doesn't care. All he is doing is thinking about that house in California.

Am I doing it right?

 

[Islanders4Cups]

You can tell by the way he handled the puck on the Lee goal and by his celebration on the empty netter he doesn't care. All he is doing is thinking about that house in California.

Am I doing it right?

Way off

 

[Local290]

I was always intrigued by the islanders and the team Garth Snow built thru the draft, he actually did a very good job. What occurred a season ago losing unsigned players that should have been signed (2 for sure) was a good indication of not recognizing where the org. was and really how close to a lengthy playoff run they were, the Pens/Caps/Tampa series were all eye openers.

Its actually quite a shame considering, I would be willing to bet if 2 of the three were still wearing NYI colours a winner would have been born. When a team loses its soul its just a team.

Frans’ contract for 6 years is going to be pretty terrible(2 pts this year). Beau will replace his role soon enough. And KO the same can be said( 1 point). But the Ladd contract is worse than both.

JT is gonna be fine. They need to change that line up. Lee and Eberle play in the same area. It doesn’t work. They both go right to the net and a lot of the time it is leaving JT alone to fight for pucks in the corner( battles he won many times tonight).

I want to say flip Bailey and Eberle because JT Bailey just work. But that Bailey Barzal Beau line was dominant tonight.

 

[majormet]

You can tell by the way he handled the puck on the Lee goal and by his celebration on the empty netter he doesn't care. All he is doing is thinking about that house in California.

Am I doing it right?

Not quite right my friend LOL

He didn't really celebrate on the empty netter, but who really does... Well he has 6 points in Brooklyn in 3 games and 0 points on the road in 5 games, still something is not the same about him when you see his body language, some cinematographer just got that house on Friday LOL

But seriously, JT is hard to read right now... maybe he is not that excited about the regular season anymore or maybe he had went to Chipotle before the game and was having ill effects

 

[Joedoggy]

Frans’ contract for 6 years is going to be pretty terrible(2 pts this year). Beau will replace his role soon enough. And KO the same can be said( 1 point). But the Ladd contract is worse than both.

JT is gonna be fine. They need to change that line up. Lee and Eberle play in the same area. It doesn’t work. They both go right to the net and a lot of the time it is leaving JT alone to fight for pucks in the corner( battles he won many times tonight).

I want to say flip Bailey and Eberle because JT Bailey just work. But that Bailey Barzal Beau line was dominant tonight.

You post did not mention the soul of the team (Martin), He and one of the two you mentioned needed to be In NYI colours.

 

[crasherino]

Not quite right my friend LOL

He didn't really celebrate on the empty netter, but who really does... Well he has 6 points in Brooklyn in 3 games and 0 points on the road in 5 games, still something is not the same about him when you see his body language, some cinematographer just got that house on Friday LOL

But seriously, JT is hard to read right now... maybe he is not that excited about the regular season anymore or maybe he had went to Chipotle before the game and was having ill effects

There's a lot of overreaching by fans on message boards. Perhaps the most egregious of all the ridiculousness is attempts to interpret body language of players.

If JT gets a better bounce and finishes the play at the end of the Kings game, there's no 4 game dry spell and no discussion here.

Of all the issues we have in the short term, JT is not one of them. Long term, obviously he's probably the biggest.

 

[Strummergas]

There's a lot of overreaching by fans on message boards. Perhaps the most egregious of all the ridiculousness is attempts to interpret body language of players.

If JT gets a better bounce and finishes the play at the end of the Kings game, there's no 4 game dry spell and no discussion here.

Of all the issues we have in the short term, JT is not one of them. Long term, obviously he's probably the biggest.

C'mon Crash, you're spoiling all the fun. The way you tell it makes for really lousy fan fiction.

 

[PK Cronin]

We're analyzing his lack of a celebration after an empty netter? This is insane. Just an fyi, Tavares is now tied for the team lead in points with 6 in 8 games.

 

[Strummergas]

We're analyzing his lack of a celebration after an empty netter? This is insane. Just an fyi, Tavares is now tied for the team lead in points with 6 in 8 games.

Read between the lines PK, he hates it here.

 

[periferal]

We're analyzing his lack of a celebration after an empty netter? This is insane. Just an fyi, Tavares is now tied for the team lead in points with 6 in 8 games.

I remember the Tavares scouting report on him well from when he was in junior: "Most of the game you wouldn't be sure he was on the ice, then you'd look at the stat sheet and he'd have 4 points."

I could care less that Tavares is streaky. We all agree his play has been lackluster and yet as you mentioned...He's tied for the team lead in points. I wish I could say that about so many others on this team.

The real issue here is...Why is Tavares seemingly not 'himself." Normally he's more fiery, more intense, seemingly more into the game and his teammates. Is is because he isn't happy here and wants to leave? Is it because the contract is wearing on him? Is it something else?

Whatever is going on it is affecting his game a bit and yet - He's still producing. I'm still much more concerned about his resigning than I am with his play on the ice.

 

[crasherino]

C'mon Crash, you're spoiling all the fun. The way you tell it makes for really lousy fan fiction.

When he did that first pump whilst celebrating his goal in the home opener, I'm pretty sure he was just pointing towards Toronto.

Better?

 

[PK Cronin]

I remember the Tavares scouting report on him well from when he was in junior: "Most of the game you wouldn't be sure he was on the ice, then you'd look at the stat sheet and he'd have 4 points."

I could care less that Tavares is streaky. We all agree his play has been lackluster and yet as you mentioned...He's tied for the team lead in points. I wish I could say that about so many others on this team.

The real issue here is...Why is Tavares seemingly not 'himself." Normally he's more fiery, more intense, seemingly more into the game and his teammates. Is is because he isn't happy here and wants to leave? Is it because the contract is wearing on him? Is it something else?

Whatever is going on it is affecting his game a bit and yet - He's still producing. I'm still much more concerned about his resigning than I am with his play on the ice.

I just think it has to do with chemistry. Eberle wants the puck more than a guy like Bailey does, so Tavares is getting less touches and tries to force plays to distribute to his new linemate. Eberle, as good as I think he's been, isn't in position to help Tavares defensively when plays break down either. We saw last night, Bailey is good at reading plays and helping to create turnovers in the offensive zone. Eberle isn't as good at that because he's pushing the pace offensively, at least so far.

 

[CupHolders]

I remember the Tavares scouting report on him well from when he was in junior: "Most of the game you wouldn't be sure he was on the ice, then you'd look at the stat sheet and he'd have 4 points."

I could care less that Tavares is streaky. We all agree his play has been lackluster and yet as you mentioned...He's tied for the team lead in points. I wish I could say that about so many others on this team.

The real issue here is...Why is Tavares seemingly not 'himself." Normally he's more fiery, more intense, seemingly more into the game and his teammates. Is is because he isn't happy here and wants to leave? Is it because the contract is wearing on him? Is it something else?

Whatever is going on it is affecting his game a bit and yet - He's still producing. I'm still much more concerned about his resigning than I am with his play on the ice.

The above are loaded questions. The real issue in this thread is that the only explanation that will suffice for many posters is the one that fits the narrative of "Tavares wants to leave."

We are talking about a sample size of 8 games at the beginning of the year; after an offseason where his training was adjusted due to two considerable injuries. There are many reasonable circumstances as to why Tavares may seem off.

I have no clue what Tavares is thinking, doing or wants. Nor should we waste significant time trying to figure it out based on his demeanor. The Isles either win or they lose. The other stuff takes care of itself accordingly.

 

[CupHolders]

I just think it has to do with chemistry. Eberle wants the puck more than a guy like Bailey does, so Tavares is getting less touches and tries to force plays to distribute to his new linemate. Eberle, as good as I think he's been, isn't in position to help Tavares defensively when plays break down either. We saw last night, Bailey is good at reading plays and helping to create turnovers in the offensive zone. Eberle isn't as good at that because he's pushing the pace offensively, at least so far.

Agree. I remember Bailey around his draft year being compared to the Sedin's for his skill and puck control along the boards. I think an "in their prime" Sedin's would be the perfect mold of player for Tavares to play with. Good playmakers, who like to cycle and control the puck until they overwhelm for a goal.