New York Islanders: Players Predictions For The World Cup Of Hockey

Team Canada

John Tavares is the lone wolf for the Isles on the Canadian roster.

As we have all seen for the past few seasons, Johnny T is just magnificently intelligent when it comes to hockey. He is also one of the best stick handlers in the world, and with an improvement of his strength, speed, and defensive abilities, he truly has become an all-around superstar.

But Islander fans may not see as much of the Captain as we are accustomed to.

The Canadian team is as talented as ever in the forward department. And more specifically, is loaded up the middle with high-caliber centers. And if history has taught us anything is that this does not bode well for Tavares.

The Canadian national team was in very much a similar position in 2014 at the Sochi Olympics, with a packed center core. This saw Tavares take up the more unnatural winger position on the fourth line. And before his devastating injury during that tournament, he wasn’t really a powerhouse contributor for the national team, producing zero points in four games.

So far, Tavares has seen quite a bit of success on the third line with Steven Stamkos and Ryan Getzlaf so far, who was the center of the line. So the probability and potential for a stellar World Cup is definitely present.

Look for Tavares to produce solidly, but not as consistently in this year’s tournament.