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John Tavares Record Breaker Closes In On Sixth All-Time

Feb 12, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders center John Tavares (91) lunges for the puck during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 12, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders center John Tavares (91) lunges for the puck during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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With two points in tonight’s game, John Tavares moves closer to the pantheon of New York Islanders greats. By the end of this season, he’ll likely pass two of them.

It’s a long way to go before he reaches the lofty heights set by New York Islanders legends Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, or Denis Potvin. But in seven-and-a-half season’s with the Islanders Tavares has already cracked the top ten.

After picking up two absolutely beautiful assists tonight, John Tavares now moves to 517 points on his career. Putting him 25 short of Bob Bourne for sole possession of eight on the list.

Already with only half the season gone, Tavares has passed Patrick Flatley (488), Derek King (499), and Bobby Nystrom (513).

With the rate that Tavares is playing right now, you’d have to figure that a few more names might fall before reaching. So who’s in Tavares crosshairs?

The Islanders Scoring Top Ten

RankPlayerPosGPGAPTS

1

Bryan Trottier

C

1123

500

853

1353

2

Mike Bossy

R

752

573

553

1126

3

Denis Potvin

D

1060

310

742

1052

4

Clark Gillies

L

872

304

359

663

5

Brent Sutter

C

694

287

323

610

6

Pat LaFontaine

C

530

287

279

566

7

John Tonelli

L

594

206

338

544

8

Bob Bourne

C

814

238

304

542

9

John Tavares

C

563

227

290

517

10

Bobby Nystrom

R

900

235

278

513

*Stats from NHL.com

From what I’ve calculated based on Tavares’ second half production bumps, I’ve projected he’ll finish with 74 points. He already has 46, so that means add another 28 points to his name.

Must Read: Tavares Gets Better in the Second Half

Putting him at 545 come the end of the season. Pushing him ahead of both Bob Bourne (542) and John Tonelli (544) for sole possession of the seventh slot, and with top 100 of all time Pat Lafontaine next at 566.

And that’s assuming that John Tavares produces 31% more points in the second half than the first. I fear, as the season progresses, that JT might just eclipse that.

Next: Isles Highlights - The Night of Tavares Beauty Passes

It’s safe to say that Tavares can pass Lafontaine, Brent Sutter, and Clark Gillies all within the next season. But assuming Tavares produces what I think he’s going to produce this season, he’ll have to average 68 points a season for the next eight season to catch Denis Potvin, nine seasons to get Mike Bossy, and another 12 to take over top spot from Bryan Trottier. Meaning he’ll have to play till he’s 38.

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